Guardian of Healing
by TheShatteredRose
Summary: With a curse epidemic sweeping across Lagaard and the hospital to its breaking point, Lynus' healing skills are needed more than ever. But these curses just might push him to his breaking point… [Part of the Cease the Suffering series]
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Guardian of Healing

 **Summary:** With a curse epidemic sweeping across Lagaard and the hospital to its breaking point, Lynus' healing skills are needed more than ever. But these curses just might push _him_ to his breaking point…

 **Warnings:** Mention of curses and hexes, and medical speak/jargon, and people simply suffering.

 **AN:** Ahhhhh I've wanted to work on this for a while so I am so incredibly happy to be able to finally start it! It'll likely be more than ten chapters long, but it's really important to the CtS series. I won't give anything away, so be sure to read and let me know what you think of the cliffhanger at the end~

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Chapter 1:

It was rare for Lynus to be given a day off from the hospital, but after being part of a party that rescued a squadron of missing guards, healing them until they reached the hospital, Dr Stiles insisted that Lynus take some much earned time off.

"What have you got in mind for your day off?" Axel asked him as he slipped into the bathroom of their room, to prepare himself for the day.

"Hm," Lynus murmured as he perched a hairband between his lips and raked his fingers through his hair, pulling the strands back into a small ponytail. He grabbed the band and tied it around his hair three times. "Honestly, I'd like to gather some stones from the second stratum. I haven't actually worked with any of those yet."

"I think Tobyn wants to re-examine the eighth floor," Axel said from the bathroom, over the sound of running water. "Once he hears we're considering it, he'll tag along. There's a blank spot there that's been pissing him off for ages."

Lynus chuckled as he slipped on his medical coat. "I think the whole second stratum frustrates him."

Well, Lynus shouldn't say too much. He also held some resentment for the Scarlet Forest. With all those dangerous vines on the ground, ready to tear apart anyone's feet should they step on them. Unfortunately, there were some places where they had no choice but to cautious step over these 'moving tiles', as they were called.

Well, at least there were no pits for them to worry about, unlike the fourth stratum…

Axel stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck, wearing a sleeveless black shirt over his dark blue pants. He sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots. "If we're lucky, we'll be in the labyrinth for only a few hours. After that, we should head to the bar and piss off Cass for a while."

Again, Lynus laughed. Cass had once made the mistake of complaining about how Lynus and Axel were too lovey-dovey toward each other. The sight of them together incited jealousy amongst the patrons, he claimed. That, of course, only prompted Lynus and Axel to be more open in their affection for one another, riling Cass up even more.

"Sounds good," he said as he reached for his medical bag.

But as his fingers brushed over the strap of his bag, there was a knock at the door. It was a slight knock, but one he recognised nonetheless. He knew that Hamza was on the other side of the door.

A sense of curiosity washed over him as Lynus grabbed his bag and placed it upon his shoulder as he crossed the room to the door. He opened the door, readjusting his bag on his shoulder as he did so, and found Hamza standing expectantly on the other side.

Hamza offered him a small smile. "Ah, good," he said. "Lynus, there is a guard here to see you. Sent from the hospital, apparently."

"Oh?" Lynus murmured in surprise before a concerned frown appeared on his lips.

Something must have happened. It wasn't often Lynus has a guard sent to him from the hospital. Usually, if anything untoward happened that required his presence, Darrell or Angie would come get him themselves. Besides, Dr Stiles was more than capable of running a hospital that was filled to the brim with patients. He had done so for years.

Lynus glanced over his shoulder at Axel, catching his gaze for a moment before Axel stood up from the bed and moved toward him, to follow him. Hamza then led the two of them down the stairs to the foyer of the inn, where a guard covered head to toe in national Lagaard armour stood, fidgeting impatiently on his feet.

"Are you Lynus?" the guard asked when he noticed their presence.

"That's right," Lynus said as he nodded his head slightly. "Can I help you?"

"Ah, Dr Stiles has requested your immediate presence at the hospital," the guard announced before his fidgeting unexpectedly intensified, as if intensely nervous or uneasy. "It's not urgent, well it is urgent, but not urgent urgent as in, like a code blue or something. Maybe important, but not life-threatening important. Ah, well…could you just go to the hospital please?"

…So much for his day off. But that was just the way of a medic and healer.

Still, something felt a little…abnormal. "Did Dr Stiles tell you anything else? Did he give you a note?" Lynus asked.

"Note!" the guard all but shrilled in realisation before he began to pat down his armour. "Y-yes, a note. Now where is it…Hah! Here."

Lynus offered the guard a small smile as he took from him a piece of square paper that had been folded in half. "Thank you," he said before promptly unfolding the note and reading.

 _Lynus,_

 _Come to Ward C as soon as you can. Your opinion on a patient would be much appreciated._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Dr D Stiles_

That was…short.

"Ok, thank you," Lynus said as he turned his attention to the awaiting guard. "I'll be at the hospital as soon as possible."

"Sir!" the guard saluted before promptly turning on his heel and marching through the entrance of the inn, his armour clanging and clacking the entire way.

…Sir? Force of habit for the guard, perhaps?

"Is something the matter?" Hamza asked as he and Axel moved to stand on either side of Lynus.

"The note doesn't offer much, I'm afraid," Lynus replied with a slight frown, subconsciously leaning toward Axel as he slipped a hand to rest on the small of his back. "Just to go straight to Ward C to offer my opinion on a patient. Nothing else."

The note was honestly a little concerning. Dr Stiles was being purposely vague, but why? Sure, Dr Stiles valued a patient's confidential rights, but he would at least list the patient's vital signs and the abbreviations of the tests that had been conducted. The note was short and direct.

Lynus almost didn't believe that Dr Stiles had written the note, but he recognised the man's handwriting.

"Sorry," Lynus sighed as he tilted his head back to look up at Axel. "I better get going. I don't know how long I'll be."

"As per usual," Axel said, but there was an expression of understanding on his face nonetheless. "Don't push yourself."

Lynus granted Axel a grateful smile before pushing up onto his toes to kiss Axel softly, but unfortunately quickly on the lips. "Stay out of trouble," he said as he reluctantly moved away from Axel and turned to leave the inn, quickly tracing the same path he would use to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.

The quickest and easiest way to get to Ward B was through the reception area and waiting room. At this time in the morning, the waiting room usually had a few patients dealing with the after-effects of binge drinking or family and friends waiting for visiting hours.

But as he stepped through the main entrance of the hospital, Lynus was stunned to find that every seat in the reception area and connecting waiting room was taken. Most startling, though, was that they didn't appear to be explorers. Some were young children being cradled in their parents' arms. The others were elder sitting in wheelchairs or middle-aged still dressed in their night clothes. Coughing and murmuring echoed through the area as nurses and medics flittered in and out as they tried to deal with as many as they could.

…He was just at the hospital yesterday afternoon. What in the world could have happened?

Quickly making his way through the controlled chaos, Lynus made his way to the front desk.

"Morning, Darrell," Lynus greeted, inwardly surprised to find the redheaded medic standing there, going over the roster. He usually hated dealing with the front counter.

"Hm?" Darrell muttered as he lifted his gaze up from the clipboard he was holding, his bloodshot eyes immediately locking onto Lynus. "Ah, morning."

"Didn't you have nightshift?" Lynus asked, his concern growing. "Why are you still here?"

Darrell simply indicated toward the full waiting area with a tilt of his head.

Lynus felt a frown tug at his lips as his gaze flickered over toward the reception once more. "What's going on?" he asked bluntly as he turned back to Darrell. "It wasn't like this yesterday."

"Not a clue. They started late yesterday afternoon and haven't let up since," Darrell grumbled in response.

Lynus' frown deepened and he was about to ask Darrell what kind of symptoms these non-explorer patients were exhibiting when the appearance of a familiar brown-haired doctor strode into view.

"Lynus," Dr Stiles said the moment his gaze fell upon him, an expression akin to that of relief on his face as he immediately made a beeline toward Lynus. "Good, you're here."

Dr Stiles' haggard, frazzled appearance was rather alarming. "Is something wrong?" Lynus immediately asked.

"This way," Dr Stiles said as he placed a hand on Lynus' back and led him into Ward B, immediately launching into an explanation along the way. "We're experiencing a few baffling cases of patients being unable to move or woken from their sleep. There is no accidental poisoning or ingestion involved, from physical examination at least. There appears to be literally nothing wrong with them. These cases are more akin to those of explorers in the labyrinth. Yet the family members of these patients insist that they've never set foot inside Yggdrasil."

It took Lynus a moment or two to let it all sink in when he found himself standing in the middle of Ward B. He silently hoped that he didn't look as surprised as he felt when he realised that the eight beds in the room were all occupied. No one was moving. No one appeared to be even conscious.

They weren't in the critical care unit, though, so their conditions must not be overly concerning.

"Do what you need to do to make them comfortable," Dr Stiles suddenly said to him. "We can talk about the specifics later."

In other words; get straight to work, ask and answer questions later.

"Y-yes," Lynus murmured as he allowed Dr Stiles to take his medical bag before he walked toward the first bed of the ward.

He gave a slight nod of his head toward the nurse inspecting the patient's vital signs before he focused completely on the blond-haired patient lying prone on the bed. Their eyes were lightly shut, but clamped together as if in pain or discomfort. Their lips were slightly parted as they breathed in through their nose and out of their mouth. Their skin, however, was pale and clammy.

Lynus stood by the bed and raised his hands to hover a few inches above the patient. Being thorough, he started from the first chakra point, carefully working his way through each individual function before moving on. Nothing was out of the ordinary until he reached the Sixth Chakra, and he was surprised by how dark but small and silent the dark abnormality was.

It was a curse or a spell. One that put the patient into a deep, almost eternal sleep. The blockage was small, but quite potent. Honestly, if Lynus had not been carefully checking the patient's chakra points, it blockage could have easily been missed.

The spell, no curse, it…it wasn't from a monster. The curse of a monster was primal, vicious. This curse was… malicious, it's intention clear; cause as much restriction to the patient as possible, yet be subtle about it as well. A human was responsible.

A hexer was responsible.

He filed that thought away to the back of his mind as he instead focused on removing the blockage. It shouldn't be that difficult. Since he had the location pin-pointed, a small refresh spell should be enough.

As Lynus uttered the healing spell, he jumped slightly as a small hiss of pain slipped passed his lips. When he removed the stranglehold the hex had on his patient, the sensation of the curse dissipating was akin to that of an elastic band snapping. And the tail end literally whipped him in the chest.

The patient's response was just as swift. Lynus placed a hand against his chest and took a step back as the patient suddenly sat up in bed, looking around in a bewildering fashion. He allowed for the other nurses and medics to step in and inspect the now moving and conscious patient.

Lynus furrowed his brow as he rubbed the middle of his chest with his hand. That feeling…was it somehow connected to the curse he had just removed? It happened just a split second after he removed the curse, so it couldn't be a coincidence. Was it a side effect, designed to hurt the one removing it?

…How callous.

Leaving the newly awoken and baffled patient in the capable hands of his fellow healers, Lynus quietly moved to the next unconscious patient. Raising his hands, he wasted no time seeking out the sixth chakra. And like the previous patient, their sixth chakra was blocked as well. This patient wasn't asleep, though. They were being paralysed. Not enough to cause full body paralysis, but enough to render their every movement slow and sluggish, and for an unnerving tingling sensation to run through their joints.

It physically hurt them to move.

Drawing in a deep breath, Lynus grimaced in anticipating as he released the blockage. He bit the inside of his mouth when he felt that sharp pain in his chest again. He was subtly ready for it this time, but it still hurt and it surprised him by how piercing it was. It really felt as if something had physically hit him in the chest.

The patient on the bed jolted, as if hit by electricity before flailing to sit up in bed, wide eyed and breathing erratically. Their reaction, however, was completely understandable. From what Lynus could diagnose, they had been almost 'locked in' into their own body. Being able to move was such a relief to them.

Lynus could hear the patient mumble something about thanking the heavens to be able to move again, but he didn't have the time to ask them any questions about how they came to be in such a state. He could feel the expectations and excitement from the families of the other patients in the ward. They were hoping and waiting for him to inspect their loved ones.

He shouldn't keep them waiting. Being trapped in their own body, unable to move or awaken was terrifying, and they've waited long enough. Questions could be asked and hopefully answered afterwards, after everything had calmed down somewhat.

As he made his way over to the next patient, he took a moment to idly inspect his chest. There was nothing physical there. No red swelling from being struck. Just a slight ache.

His third patient was just like the first; cursed to sleep. The same chakra. The same location. The same reaction.

The next three patients were exactly the same. It was getting beyond ridiculous. Something was going on. Having several patients suffering from the exact same curse was not coincidental.

What in the world was really going on here?

As he released his seventh patient from their curse, Lynus was starting to feel lightheaded and breathless himself. His chest was really starting to hurt now. But there was one more he needed to inspect, so he ignored it and continued with his work. He could mutter about the ache in his chest later.

Lynus gritted his teeth as he removed the curse from patient number eight and breathed a sigh of relief when his patient sat up in bed, just like all his previous patients. There, he was done. Every single patient in Ward B was awake and conscious. Maybe now they could start getting some answers.

There was no doubt that the entire event was bewildering to those present, though. Watching as Lynus went from unconscious patient to motionless patient, raised his hands for a few moments before he uttered a healing spell which caused the patient to abruptly regain consciousness, before he quickly moved on to the next patient. He was sure that his fellow medics and the family of those in the ward were staring at him with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

Lynus, however, couldn't waste his time musing about how he must look. He was too busy trying to work out in his head how these patients could come across such curses and who would want to inflict them.

"You looked baffled."

Dr Stiles' voice pulled Lynus from his thoughts and he immediately turned to face the head doctor. "They've been cursed," he said simply, keeping his voice quiet so not to alarm anyone within hearing range. "Or rather, they've been hexed."

"Hexed?" Dr Stiles muttered, immediately looking alarmed. "All of them?"

"Yes," Lynus replied firmly as he gazed over at all the now conscious patients. "I can't tell you much about them, to be honest. Only that there's a difference between a monstrous spell and a hex. Although these hexes in particular are rather faint, juvenile in regards to those that monsters in the labyrinth can use, they're still very potent to non-explorers. Adventurers can develop a form of immunity to hexes and spells, if they've dealt with them, of course."

Dr Stiles held his chin in thought. "Yes, that makes sense. Chances are the patients in critical care could also be suffering from these hexes."

"Critical care?" Lynus repeated with a shocked expression on his face as he turned to look at the head doctor.

There was more?! The critical care ward only had one patient when he was there yesterday! What could have possibly had happened to result in so many critical care patients in such a short amount of time? He hadn't heard anything traumatic happening in the labyrinth last night.

They…couldn't be domestic patients as well, could they? More cursed domestic patients?

"Did they appear last night?" he asked.

Dr Stiles sighed loudly as he lifted his hands to rub at his temples. "Yes. All within hours of each other. Unconsciousness, delirium, coughing of blood. Some appear to be poisoned, but there is no poison located anywhere in their systems."

Lynus was silent for a moment. "…Wish for me to inspect them?"

Dr Stiles gave him a grateful, yet somewhat apologetic smile. "Yes. That technique of yours has been spot on every time." He then clasped a hand on Lynus' shoulder. "Anything you find will be helpful."

"I'll get to work them," Lynus said as he retrieved his bag from Dr Stiles and hurried from the room.

Looked like he won't be heading back to the inn for a while. He hadn't anticipated something like this…

As Lynus headed for the Critical Care ward, dodging medics and wandering patients along the way, he almost bumped into a familiar blonde-haired nurse.

"Morning, Lynus," Angie greeted, although his usual perkiness and enthusiasm had been reduced severely to a half-hearted grin.

Lynus gave Angie a knowing smile, completely understanding of her exhaustion before noticing that she had a carry bag over her shoulder, one that was used when one was running errands. "Oh, Angie, are you heading out?" he asked.

Angie sighed despite trying to maintain her smile. "Dr Stiles has a few errands he needs for me to do."

Lynus nodded his head as he chewed on his bottom lips for a moment. "I'd hate to add to it, but could you tell Axel that I'm going to be at the hospital for possibly late into the night?"

"Yes, of course," Angie immediately responded.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Lynus said before letting the blonde-haired nurse go about her errands while he hastened his steps toward Critical Care.

As he stepped inside the ward, Lynus felt his heart drop into his stomach. Although a few of the medics and nurses appeared surprisingly relieved to see him, Lynus was immediately filled with a sense of dread. Eight beds, all of them full. The patients appeared conscious, though withering in pain and muttering incoherently in their beds.

Eight more patients. Eight more patients who could also be cursed. He wasn't entirely sure he could deal with them all…

Pushing aside his apprehension with a shake of his head, Lynus dropped his bag to the floor near the door and went straight to work. Much like he had done in Ward C, he went from patient to patient to assess them, immediately locating the sixth chakra.

And what he found was alarming.

They were also cursed. Similar to those of Ward B, but these were more…vicious.

After he released the eighth patient of the ward of their curse, Lynus felt drained but had to remain standing tall when he realised that he had become the centre of attention of healers and patients alike.

"Their bodies are turning against themselves," Lynus explained to the other healers in the ward, purposely avoiding the use of the word 'hex' as he didn't want to cause more concern that there already was. "That's where the poison is coming from. Their bodies are producing their own deadly poison. We need to find a way to stop them from producing too many antibodies and white blood cells."

He could remove the curses, or rather clear the patient of the dark remnants of the hex, but they still needed to repair the damage that had already been done.

"Let's start with Theriaca B added to their IVs," Lynus continued to instruct. "Let's start with 100mls each before slowly reducing. We need to hit this poison hard and fast. I need to do some more research, so I'll leave it up to you."

"Right!" Clearly pleased that they had been giving a task to do, the medics quickly set about getting to work.

With the way Lynus was feeling, he felt that he would only get in their way so he made his way over to his bag, picked it up quickly and moved to leave the room. He tried not to stagger out into the busy corridors. He didn't physically do much, but he felt alarmingly tired. It was most likely due to his lack of experience with curses.

He clearly needed to do more research on the topic of spells, curses, and hexes. He knew how to release them, but not much else. He needed to know how they work, how they interfered with a person's immune, circulatory, or nervous systems. And, ultimately, how they could be prevented and stopped altogether.

Before making his way to the hospital library, Lynus quickly entered the staff breakroom and had to lean against the counter for a moment. He squeezed his eyes shut as he rubbed at his chest. There were…too many curses. He was starting to feel ill and off-centre himself.

A hand was suddenly but gently placed upon his back. "Are you all right?" the familiar voice of Darrell asked.

Lynus glanced up at his fellow medic and offered him a tired smile. "Ah, it's nothing," he said before he sighed and shook his head slightly. "It's just…dealing with these hexes is causing my chest to ache a bit. I think it's a reaction of the hex, hurting whoever removes it as well. For the ultimate spite."

Darrell immediately frowned at him, though he did not look remotely surprised or confused when Lynus mentioned the words 'hex' and 'curse'. Dr Stiles must have told him what occurred in Ward B.

"You should rest for a bit then," Darrell said as he removed his hand from Lynus' back. "If Dr Stiles finds out it's been hurting you, he'd throw a fit."

A tired laugh slipped passed Lynus' lips. "You're right," he said as he moved to sit down on the closest chair. "It's…unnerving, though. There have been too many domestic curse victims."

Darrell looked equally concerned and frustrated as he ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah. I can understand if they were explorers, but they're not. Chefs, bakers, shop owners. They shouldn't be coming into contact with curses."

Lynus shook his head slowly, almost finding it difficult to comprehend what he had just discovered. "What is going on?"

"I don't know," Darrell muttered as he leaned his back against the counter and folded his arms roughly across his chest. "It's like…a curse plague or something."

Yeah, a curse plague alright.

Hexes and curses don't just happen. They don't occur naturally. Someone or something was placing these curses upon innocent people, either directly or indirectly. Could a hexer have gone rogue for some reason? Or maybe they were just testing their skills upon the general public to build up confidence to enter the labyrinth? Or were they intentionally being malicious?

There had to be a hexer involved, there was no way that all these patients of different backgrounds and social circles could stumble across the a cursed object. Unless there was numerous of them scattered all over the city. Could a curse-maker be purposely dropping cursed items around for any innocent to accidently stumble across?

Whatever the reason, someone or something was cursing these patients. And it had to be stopped. But how?

Lynus rubbed at his forehead in a frustrated manner. All he could do for now was the remove the curses and make the patients as comfortable as possible. Besides, he didn't even know where to begin looking for said curse-makers. Searching for dangerous troublemakers certainly wasn't his forte.

"Lynus!"

At the sound of someone yelling his name out in alarm, Lynus immediately jumped to his feet and turned around, only to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun that was pointed directly at his head…


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** I'm so glad you enjoyed last week's cliffhanger :D There's likely more to come in this saga so I won't say anymore but hope you enjoy reading~!

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Chapter 2:

Axel watched until Lynus was out of sight as he headed to the hospital once again, before he allowed a frown to appear on his lips. He knew that Lynus was a dedicated medic and that his skills were beyond extraordinary, but there were times that Axel was honestly starting to feel that the violet-eyed medic was taking on too much.

Perhaps he was just being protective, maybe a little bitter that he wasn't able to spend as much time with Lynus as he would like. And he totally understood Lynus' need to be constantly useful. He just wished that he would understand that there was more to him and his role in life than healing.

Besides…something about his request to the hospital just didn't sit right with him. Dr Stiles valued Lynus' input, but he had never sent a guard to the inn to request his presence at the hospital. Just to inspect a patient.

"Damn it," Axel muttered as he roughly ran his hand through his hair and headed off toward the tearoom to brood for a bit. "I'm completely over protective…"

As he walked into the tearoom, he immediately noticed that it was occupied by three of his guildmates. Jhon was stoking the fire place, Tobyn sat on the couch as he flipped through a codex of his, and Macerio sat at the table in the corner of the room, his face buried in his folded arms atop the table. He looked to be asleep.

After throwing a log into the flames, Jhon turned his head toward him and nodded with a slight smile. However, his smile faded slightly when he glanced behind Axel, seemingly confused as to why he was alone.

"Axel?" Jhon questioned he pushed himself to his feet. "Where's Lynus? Weren't you two planning something for his day off?"

Axel folded his arms across his chest. "He's been requested at the hospital," he said simply.

"What?!" Macerio unexpectedly squawked from the corner of the room, lifting his head up off his arms to look over in Axel's direction with a disgruntled expression. "But it's his day off!"

Axel felt the corner of his mouth twitch into a half smile, inwardly feeling better that he wasn't the only one disappointed that Lynus had been called into the hospital yet again. "The cons of being a highly skilled medic, I suppose."

Macerio snorted loudly. "Work him too hard," he muttered before he abruptly buried his face in his arms again.

"Another Code Blue?" Tobyn asked as he idly flipped a page of his book.

"Not this time, it seems," Axel answered as he dropped his arms from his chest and crossed the room to drop himself onto the couch next to the blond-haired survivalist. "Dr Stiles wanted his opinion of a patient or something."

Tobyn slowly lifted his head up, his brow deeply furrowed as he turned toward Axel. "That's odd."

Axel was again inwardly relieved that he wasn't the only one who felt that way. "Yeah. I think so, too. I wonder if something's happening at the hospital."

They lapsed into a contemplative silence for a while, only the sound of the crackling fire, the turning of pages, and the occasional snore from Macerio interrupted the quite.

There was then the sound of the bell at the front counter being rung and a voice calling out. "Hello?"

"In here!" Axel shouted upon reflex and it wasn't until the sound of shuffling feet did it dawn on him that he recognised the voice.

"Huh," he muttered as a nurse with long blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail all by dragged herself into the room, his shoulders drooped forward and her eyes somewhat glassy. "Long time no see. You all right?"

Nurse Angie, however, didn't appear to have heard him. "Ah, I'm just stopping by to tell you that Lynus will probably be at the hospital until tonight," she said quickly.

Axel had honestly feared as much.

"Trouble at the hospital?" Axel asked casually as he pushed back his suspicions.

"Yeah," Angie surprisingly answered. "There was an influx of critical care patients last night and we can't figure out what's wrong with them. We're hoping that Lynus could."

"If anyone can, it'll be him," Axel said in a comforting manner.

However, that sounded like it should have been confidential information. Angie must be so exhausted that she had forgotten.

"Critical care patients…" Tobyn repeated as he abruptly snapped shut his book. "I don't remember hearing anything happening in the labyrinth last night."

Angie shook her head. "That's just it. The patients aren't explorers."

Now Axel was really suspicious.

"Ok, thanks for telling us Angie," Axel said as he granted the young nurse a small smile. "Don't collapse on your way back."

"I'll try," Angie muttered tiredly as she shuffled from the room.

Axel waited until he could no longer hear the sound of feet walking away before he drummed his fingers atop of the couch's arm rest in an irritated fashion. "I don't like it," he muttered.

Jhon made a noise of agreement. "Want to check up on the hospital?"

Axel was already pushing himself to his feet. "A quick look wouldn't hurt, I suppose."

As he turned to see if Tobyn and Macerio wanted to tag along, Axel noticed that they, too, had already pushed themselves to their feet. Again, it was somewhat reassuring to know that he wasn't the only protective one.

"Axel!"

Axel whipped around to face the door of the tearoom before abruptly hauling himself through it and toward the foyer of the inn. He recognised that voice. And the sense of alarm. "What's wrong?" he all but demanded when a certain red-haired medic skidded to a halt in front of him, panting as if he had ran all the way from the hospital.

"The hospital," Darrell said breathlessly. "A gunner is holding Lynus hostage."

"What?!"

… … … … …

Lynus could hear voices calling out to him in alarm, but all he could see was a gun, levelled directly at his head. And behind the gun was a man with pitch black hair and light green eyes staring wildly at him like he was some kind of dangerous animal.

Strangely, only one thing ran through his mind. And that was Axel.

And it somehow instilled a sense of calm upon him.

Lynus kept his gaze locked firmly on the silver barrel of the gun, his heart thundering painfully in his chest. Yet, somehow, he managed to speak without stuttering. "Darrell, the window and then the inn. Now."

From the corner of his eye, Lynus could see Darrell hesitate for a moment, inwardly debating whether or not there was something else he could do rather than to run away. However, he muttered darkly under his breath before he placed his hand on the counter of the staff room before vaulting surprisingly effortlessly through the open window.

Thankfully, and for whatever reason, the deranged gunner didn't notice Darrell's abrupt exit. Instead he seemed to murmur something under his breath, something along the lines of 'protective shield' before he reached out, snared Lynus by the collar of his coat and dragged him toward him.

The next thing Lynus knew was that he had his back toward the gunner, a strong arm around his throat, and something cool pressed against his temple.

He could barely believe it…

He was…he had been…taken hostage. Inside the hospital!

Over the screams and shouts of horrified onlookers, Lynus tugged desperately at the arm around his throat as he was dragged through the hospital. His actions to get free were for nothing, though; he couldn't do a single thing. The gunner was impressively strong. But was it because of years of training or because adrenaline levels in his body had increased substantially due to his madness?

The gunner was crazy, no doubt about that. But not because he was mentally ill, but because of a curse. Even under these circumstances, Lynus could sense that his sixth chakra was blocked, just like that of the others patients suffering in the hospital. A simple refresh would be enough, but because of the gunner's irrational behaviour, because he had his back toward the man, an arm around his throat and a gun to his head, Lynus wasn't able to physical turn around and clear the blockage.

He needed to find some way to get him out of the hospital. Get him outside and into a more open and secure area. Darrell should have reached the inn by now.

"They're following. I know they're following. Slippery bastards."

Lynus had no idea what kind of monsters or demons the man was fighting in his mind, or whether or not the gun he had to his head was loaded, but staying silent and submissive in his hold was the best thing he could do. To react violently, to scare the gun-wielding man could lead to dire consequences.

He stumbled over his own feet as the gunner hauled him roughly and effortlessly through the corridors of the hospital. Lynus recognised the halls they were moving down and felt a very slight sense of relief; they were heading toward the back exit. And hopefully they'll head outside into the small courtyard. They would be outside, away from the patients, but in an enclosed area to ensure the safety of those outside the hospital as well.

Lynus squeezed his eyes shut as he was dragged out into the sunlight of the courtyard, stumbling to a halt as the gunner suddenly stopped. He looked around skittishly; obviously he hadn't anticipated reaching such an open area.

"No good, no good," the man muttered as he made the motion to head back inside. "They come from the sky. Can't win here. No good."

"Wait!"

Whipping violently around, the gunner tugged Lynus closer to him as he raised his gun, levelling it toward the doors leading back into the hospital. "Don't come any closer!" he shouted.

Though the man's arm around his neck was making it difficult for him to move, Lynus turned his head to the side to see who it was the man was threatening. When his gaze fell upon Axel with Hamza and Jhon with him, there was a sense of fear and relief. Fearful that they could also be hurt by the deranged gunner. And relief that if anyone could prevent any causalities from occurring, it was Axel and their guild.

As the arm around his neck was once again readjusted and was forced to take a few steps back, Lynus locked eyes with Axel and mouthed the word 'cursed' to him. Thankfully, Axel understood what he said and meant and nodded his head sharply. He then turned to Hamza and whispered to him.

"Easy, my friend," Hamza said in a professional and calm manner, even as he signal for Axel and Jhon to stay back. "I just want to talk."

The gunner made a noise of suspicion. "How do I know you're not one of them?" he spat.

Hamza took a moment to consider his words carefully. "Would I be calmly talking to you if I was?"

The gunner, surprisingly, seemed to accept that response and nodded his head frantically. "They come from the sky," he muttered.

An expression of confusion spread across Hamza's face as he became silent, no doubt trying wonder who or what the gunner could have mistaken him for. Instead, he shook his head slightly and took a half step forward.

"How about you let him go?" Hamza suggested as he indicated toward Lynus with a purposely slow wave of his hand. "He's a friend to you as well."

"No!" the gunner shouted as he shook his head frantically. "He keeps them away."

"He can't do that if he's scared, now can he?"

"You don't understand. It's the only way."

His captor tightened his arm around his throat and Lynus had to literally hang off of his arm, his feet off the ground in effort to keep his ability to breathe.

Hamza was still trying to calmly talk him down, but his words were only having a slight effect. And Axel looked murderous, both he and Jhon giving the indication that they would like nothing more than launch themselves at the gunner and take him down physically. Lynus was most certainly sure that the reason why Axel hadn't done anything yet was because he was afraid he might accidentally hurt Lynus in the scuffle.

But something needed to be done soon. The gunner was falling deeper into his own madness as he unexpectedly and wildly wielded the gun in Hamza's direction. His grip on the weapon tightened, but his aiming shaky and wild.

"You're just one of those dark slimy bastards in disguised!" the gunner shrilled manically. "You tricked me!"

The gunner suddenly yelped when something (an arrow?) bounced off of his gun with a sharp clang. Immediately after that, the gunner's head reeled back as something bounced off of his forehead and the sound of a loud gunshot echoed through the area. The arm he had around Lynus' neck lessened slightly, but he was still pulling Lynus down with him as he fell backwards.

What happened next was a bit of a blur. Someone had managed to grasp a hold onto Lynus and haul him to his feet. A split second after that, he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and he was abruptly huddled away.

Snapping his head up in surprise, Lynus quickly realised that Hamza was the one comforting him as Axel and Jhon were both trying to grapple with the still very delirious gunner.

Despite having two very powerful and strong explorers pinning him to the ground, the gunner was thrashing about, screaming about not willing to go down yet. He was still deep within his own illusions.

Although the ordeal had left Lynus feeling greatly shaken, he was still a medic and he needed to end the drama right now. "Lay him on his back," he instructed as he pulled himself out of Hamza's grip.

After a few seconds of flailing limbs, loud curses and barely restrained desires to simply knock the gunner unconscious, Axel and Jhon had managed to roll the man onto his back and pinned down his arms and legs.

Crouching down next to the gunner, Lynus wasted no time locating his sixth chakra wheel and murmuring a refresh spell. He gritted his teeth and grimaced when he felt a sharp pain in his chest, but he ignored it as he had done throughout the day.

The results were instantaneous. The gunner stopped thrashing about and fell limp into the pavement, his eyes staring straight up into the sky unblinking. He then suddenly wheezed and fell boneless, exhausted.

He looked absolutely confused when he realised that Axel and Jhon were restraining him and that he was outside the hospital. "Wha-?" he grunted. "What the hell happened?"

Lynus breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly took to his feet and staggered a little, absentmindedly rubbing his chest with his hand as he turned to look toward the guardsmen that patrolled the hospital. "Please take him inside for observation," he instructed them.

Axel and Jhon were noticeably, and understandably, cautious of leaving the gunner unrestrained, but the patient was back into full consciousness now. Whatever hex that had put him in that state of confusion and delirium had been cleared. He was going to be fine.

Watching the gunner warily as he was taken away by the guards, Axel pushed himself to his feet and made his way toward Lynus, immediately pulling him into his arms and holding him tightly. Lynus murmured a soft sigh as he nestled closer into Axel's strong chest, finding safety and security in his loving arms.

The whole ordeal felt so…surreal. And it happened so quickly. There was literally no warning, no foreshadowing of any kind. One second he was musing about the recent influx of curses, next he had a gun pointed at his head!

The realisation of what he had just gone through would no doubt hit him later, leaving him a nervous mess. But right now, it felt…over with. It ended as swiftly as it had begun.

Speaking of which; where did that gunshot come from?

"Hey! Hey, is everything ok?!"

As Lynus turned around to look toward the source of the voice, he abruptly found himself pulled from Axel's arms and wrapped up in a large bear hug. Axel uttered a slightly annoyed 'hey', but seemed to make no attempt to remove the person hugging the breath out of Lynus. He uttered a sound of surprise and even took a couple of steps backwards from the force of the embrace, but he soon found a soft laugh passing his lips when he recognised the brown-hair and leafy green overcoat.

As quickly as Macerio had hugged him, he pulled back to grasp at Lynus' arms and look him straight in the face. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," Lynus said with a smile, noticing as Tobyn stepped up next to Macerio, his bow hitched upon his back and subtle look of concern on his face. "I'm still a little dazed about what happened, though."

"Tobyn shot an arrow at the guy's gun to distract him," Macerio abruptly explained as a grin that was tinged with both pride and relief appeared on his lips. "While I was able to get a good head-shot in with a rubber bullet. Totally Hamza's idea."

Lynus found himself sighing with relief once more as Axel pulled him back into his arms. "Thank goodness it was you two," he said as he continued to rub his chest absentmindedly. "I would have probably panicked if it had been anyone else."

Macerio's grin got a little wider while Tobyn seemed to flush lightly, lifting up his red scarf to hide the bottom half of his face. It was no exaggeration to say that the two held amazing skill and accuracy with their weapons. They could shoot a venomfly in mid-air, leaving the wings perfectly intact. If anyone could shoot a gun out of a gunner's hand, it was those two.

"Lynus!"

"Dr Stiles?" Lynus questioned as he turned toward the doorway back into the hospital to find the brown-haired head doctor hurrying over to him.

"Darrell told me everything," Dr Stiles said the moment he reached him and placed his hands upon Lynus' shoulder to get a good and proper look at him. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Really," Lynus insisted, his tone reassuring. "He didn't do anything; just dragged me around for a bit."

Dr Stiles stared at him for a moment, gauging his honesty before his shoulders slumped with relief. "Thank goodness," he muttered as he removed his hands from Lynus' shoulders.

Lynus granted the man he saw as his mentor a small smile as he subconsciously moved back to rest his back against Axel's chest, feeling his landsknecht wrap his arms around his waist in return. However, despite the comfort and security Axel's touch and presence brought him, he couldn't help but frown.

"What about him, though?" he asked, referring to the gunner that caused all the drama. "Where did he come from? Was he a patient? Was anyone else hurt?"

"Initially, yes, he was a patient," Dr Stiles explained with an expression of weariness on his face. "His guild brought him in because he was acting strangely, but as a nurse asked that he remove his gun, he shouted something about being one of them before running off. Thankfully, no one was hurt."

Lynus nodded his head slowly before he sighed. "He was cursed, too."

Dr Stiles pursed his lips together tightly; clearly he was not happy by what he had learnt. "Was he now?" he muttered.

"This has never happened before," Hamza commented, interrupting Lynus' conversation with Dr Stiles. "What in the world is going on here?"

"Come inside," Dr Stiles said as he made a motion with his hand for everyone to follow him. "We'll explain there. Before that…"

Before anyone could say or do anything, Dr Stiles abruptly turned back around and grabbed Lynus by the shoulders, and practically glared at him, his glare fierce enough to earn a soft squeak of surprise from Lynus.

"Lynus," he said lowly. "You should have told me that the removal of these hexes was hurting you."

Hah, Darrell…

"S-sorry, I figured that I could remove these curses and be done with it," Lynus quickly explained when he realised that he was on the receiving end of several stares of disapproval. "I wasn't…expecting so many. "

"Derek?" Hamza thankfully prodded, turning the doctor's attention toward him instead. "I think it would be best to discuss what's been happening now, don't you agree?"

Dr Stiles immediately removed his hands from Lynus' shoulders, Lynus slinking back into Axel's arms once more. "Ah, yes, come inside to my office."

In a matter of minutes, they had all trekked back inside and clambered into Dr Stiles' office. The moment Dr Stiles sat down in his chair, the door closed tightly, he launched into a quick, but surprisingly detailed explanation of what had been occurring at the hospital. From what had started late yesterday afternoon to today.

"Hexes?" Tobyn muttered in surprised after Dr Stiles had finished speaking.

"Yes, hexes," Lynus sighed with a tired shake of his head. "These curses are definitely not from monsters."

Hamza held his chin, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This is troubling."

Yes, it truly was. And Lynus wasn't sure if he could spend another day removing curses from people. His chest ached enough after doing two wards, total of sixteen people. Honestly, for him, healing sixteen patients at the hospital wasn't a big number. He had done twice that on busy days. What was alarming to him that was the quick onset of fatigue he experienced from releasing the hexes.

There had to be a better way.

"I need to do some research," Lynus murmured to himself.

However, Dr Stiles heard him and immediately snapped his attention toward him. "After you've rested."

Lynus resisted the automatic response to press himself against Axel's side to hide and instead sent the head doctor a weary smile. "Hm. Your stern glare isn't nearly as potent when you're on the verge of exhaustion yourself."

Dr Stiles stared at him through narrow eyes for a moment before he sighed loudly and dropped his head forward. "I can't argue with that. But I'm still going to ignore it."

"Right, right," Lynus said in a pacifying manner. "I have a few books at the inn I want to check out anyway."

"I will stay around here at the hospital," Hamza said, no doubt attempting to put minds at ease. "To ensure that things stay peaceful."

Jhon glanced over at Tobyn and Macerio before nodding and turning his attention to Dr Stiles. "Anything we can do?" he asked.

Dr Stiles granted Jhon a grateful, albeit haggard look. "Having you on hand for any difficult patients would put minds at ease."

Jhon smiled politely. "Then we'll do that. Shen and Magnus will ensure that inn remains peaceful, too."

"Axel," Dr Stiles said as he turned his attention to the redheaded landsknecht. "Take care of Lynus."

Axel already had a hold of Lynus' bag as he kept an arm tightly wrapped around Lynus' shoulders, pulling toward the door. "Needless to say really."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN** : So glad that I got this chapter done before the migraine really set in (doesn't help that neighbours are using fucking power tools at 6 fucking am what the hell?) . Anyway, we get to meet a new (to this series) character in this chapter, so yay~! Now I hope you enjoy reading and let me know what you think~

* * *

Chapter 3:

Axel kept his arm firmly around Lynus' shoulders as he guided him upstairs toward their room. When they had returned to the inn, Lynus was understandably bombarded by concerned guildmates and family members. It was of little surprise that what had transpired at the hospital had already reached gossip circles.

From what Axel knew and understood; nothing like it had happened before. There had been a few rowdy patients who had snuck out during their stay or some who barricaded themselves in their rooms for whatever reason. But no one had ever gone as far as to take a medic hostage. Though many explorers saw medics as dead weight in the labyrinth, in the hospital they are invaluable. And were meant to remain unharmed.

What happened today defied acceptable belief.

Axel tried to reign in his protective anger directed toward the gunner. He had been reassured that the man had not been sound of mind at the time. In fact he was suffering from a madness curse. He was lost in his own delusions. And he was made that way by someone else. Potentially, at least.

"Well," Lynus murmured as they walked into their room and he dropped his medical bag onto the table near the window. "That was a morning I hadn't anticipated."

Axel nodded his head idly as he closed and locked the door out of habit before he turned to watch Lynus carefully. "Honestly, I thought there was something suspicious going on when you got that note this morning."

Lynus made a sound of agreement as he placed his head hand upon his right shoulder and rolled it idly. "Hm. You can understand the secrecy, though, can't you?" he said. "If the general public knew that there is a potential curse-maker running amok, every twinge and twitch would be a curse or hex."

"Yeah, that's true."

Those patients would probably be more troublesome than those who were actually cursed. And the last thing the hospital and staff needed right now.

Axel was about to ask Lynus something along the lines of whether or not he was really ok but paused when he saw that he was staring out the window, his hands resting a top of the table in front of him. And he was trembling ever so slightly.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked as he immediately stepped up behind him and wrapped his arms around the lithe medic.

"Sorry," Lynus automatically murmured before he shook his head and lifted his hand to point at his own forehead with his index finger. "I'm just realising that I just had a gun pointed at my head. One shot could have…"

Axel shifted his hold on him to turn him around and pulled him against his chest, threading his fingers through his hair when Lynus buried his face against his shoulder. "I know."

It was going to take quite some time for him to rid himself of the sight of Lynus fruitlessly tugging at the arm that was around his neck, being held like a human shield, his feet just barely touching the ground. But it was his eyes that killed him the most. Wide and full of fear.

And yet…there was a small shimmer of relief when his gaze locked with his.

Lynus' arms slipped around him to desperately grasp at the back of Axel's shirt, his grip tight. "You were the first thing I thought of," he murmured. "And it actually made me feel calm. Strange, isn't it?"

That prompted Axel to hold him closer. "Sorry I wasn't there."

But…one bullet. One single bullet had the potential to take Lynus from him forever.

That thought killed him the most.

"No, not that again," Lynus said as he lifted his head from his shoulder to look up at him, making absolutely no attempt to remove himself from his arms. "No one could have predicted this. It happened so quickly and, thankfully, it ended just as quickly. If anything, we should blame the one that placed that madness curse on the patient in the first place."

Axel sighed as his hands snuck up to Lynus' hair and pulled it free from its usual binding. "I'll try to remember that logic."

Lynus smiled at him as his hair fell down to his shoulders and framed his face. Axel liked it whenever his hair was free from his usual ponytail. The soft orange strands brought out the beautiful violet of his eyes. He briefly wondered if he could convince the gorgeous medic to leave his hair out more often.

However, another thought soon appeared and he couldn't help but frown.

"Dr Stiles mentioned something about healing the curses and it hurting you," Axel said as he curled a strand of Lynus' hair around his finger idly. "What did he mean?"

Lynus sighed softly. "Whenever I removed a curse from a patient I felt a sharp pain in my chest," he explained. "It wasn't excruciating by any means, but it was alarming and startling."

"And draining?"

Lynus smiled tiredly at him as he slid his hands along Axel's back, down to his sides before slipping up to his chest where he idly trailed his fingers along the collar of his shirt. "Yeah. Could you tell?"

"I can tell." It honestly wasn't hard to tell.

"I know what you're thinking," Lynus suddenly said as he looked him in his eyes, a small smile on his lips. "You want to tell me to stop healing these curses if they hurt me so much, but you won't say it because you know I'm going to keep healing anyway, so want to be supportive. Am I right?"

Axel said nothing as he stroked his cheek because, yeah, that was going to be his next trail of thought.

Lynus smiled at him as he pushed up onto his toes to place a soft kiss to his lips. "I'll find a way to stop it from hurting, ok?" he said as he pulled back. "Don't worry. I won't push myself again like I did today. Don't be angry with yourself."

"You know me so well," Axel murmured as he leaned forward to press his forehead gently against Lynus'.

"And you know me so well."

Axel couldn't help but chuckle lightly before he pulled back and readjusted his hold on Lynus' slightly, slipping his arms around his waist. "You're exhausted. Get some sleep."

Lynus' hands tightened around Axel's collar, not wanting him to pull away just yet. "Only if you stay as well."

That was a given, actually.

"Of course."

… … … … …

It was nearing dinner time as Axel did a quick patrol around the inn. Lynus had gotten a few hours of rest and was currently in the tearoom with Lirit and his books, the two of them studying whatever they could to learn more about the hexes and curses that seemed to be plaguing the city.

Though Axel was indeed antsy himself, on guard for any possible threat, he was unwilling to stray too far from Lynus. Of course, that was no surprise.

When they both crawled into bed together, Lynus fell asleep the moment he got himself comfortable against Axel's side and stayed asleep for a few hours without waking even once. Axel got a couple of hours in himself, but he spent the majority of that time simply watching Lynus as he slept, cradling him against his chest and idly playing with his hair. There were a few times where Lynus murmured or whimpered in his sleep, but Axel was thankfully able to lull him back to peacefulness by either kissing his forehead or gently running his hand up and down his back.

But he had to admit; it was somewhat alarming how quickly Lynus fell asleep. He had expected him to be somewhat restless over what had just happened.

He must have been so exhausted.

What kind of hexes where they dealing with?

"We're back!"

Axel was half way to the tearoom when Jhon's voice, he stopped and turned in the direction of the front foyer. "Hey, welcome back," he said as Jhon with Tobyn and Macerio just a step or two behind him came into view. "How are things at the hospital?"

"More patients are coming in," Jhon answered with a slight frown as they approached him, the three of them looking uneasy and somewhat agitated. "Hamza is staying, more so to keep an eye on Dr Stiles."

Axel felt himself frown, too. "I see."

"How's Lynus?"

"He fell asleep when he returned," Axel answered before he motioned over his shoulder with a tilt of his head and folded his arms across his chest. "He's in the tearoom now with Lirit. And his books."

Jhon nodded his head before he looked over his own shoulder at Tobyn and Macerio. "You two go ahead," he told them simply, prompting the two to immediately head toward the tearoom and slip inside. "Straight into his research, then?"

"It's fine," Axel said. "It takes his mind off seeing that gun in his face."

Jhon winced. "That's a sight no one wants to see."

No, but at least he lived to see beyond it.

"You're on edge," Jhon suddenly stated.

Axel gave him a half smile as he shifted anxiously on his feet. "Who isn't? Shen's checking out the back garden as a few guests complained of noises out there and Chi-hung's prowling around the inn, sniffing around. Binah wanted to stay with Lynus, but Becky hadn't been feeling well, so Lynus asked her to keep her company instead. Matron wanted to keep the two together anyway so she could keep an eye on them. Rahas is, well god knows where, probably 'secretly' checking up on the Cosmos Guild. And Magnus was helping Lynus with his research, but got alarmed when he couldn't find Zanna."

"I see. I'm sure Zanna is just curled up somewhere," Jhon said as he idly rested his hand upon the hilt of his sword that was strapped to his side, before he unexpectedly reached out with his other hand to rest upon Axel's shoulder. "And you?"

Axel felt a sigh of frustration slip past his lips. "I'm trying to accept the logical fact that there was literally nothing I could have done to protect Lynus from that ordeal."

Jhon squeezed his shoulder and gave him an understanding smile. "It'll take a while."

"Yeah…" Axel murmured as his gaze flickered over in the direction of the tea room.

However, he frowned when he felt a light tug on the back of his shirt. "A-Axel?"

Axel immediately turned around, unintentionally dislodging Jhon's grip on his shoulder to find Magnus standing just behind him, Zanna curled up in one arm, the other raised as if he had been trying to get his attention.

"What's wrong?" he immediately asked.

"There's s-someone outside," Magnus said as he cradled Zanna against his chest. "I-I think they're alive, but I'm not sure…"

"Think?" Axel repeated as he shared a concerned glance with Jhon before he turned his attention back to their alchemist. "Where?"

Instead of telling them where to find this…ah potential dead person, Magnus turned on his heel and led them toward the back of the inn and then outside. He led them toward a small darken area of the back garden, a place that saw very little foot traffic.

There, lying on the ground between a small bed of daisies and pressed against the wall of the inn was a figure seemingly wrapped in tattered clothing and…chains?

"How did you stumble across this?" Axel asked Magnus in a hushed voice.

"I was l-looking for Zanna and found her staring at them," Magnus explained as he continued to carry said orange-furred kitten in his arms. "She wasn't scared. Just staring."

Jhon slowly unsheathed his sword as he pushed Magnus back a few steps behind him with the other. "Stay back just in case."

As Axel crouched down next to the unmoving form, he immediately understood Jhon's apprehension. Tattered robes and chains were the chosen clothes of hexers, after all. Still, whether or not this figure was a hexer, they appeared to be in need of help. And as a member of the Guardians Guild, it was his duty to help others in need.

Besides, he couldn't feel anything…malicious from the form. Hexers always made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. Mostly because they were unpredictable at best. And, well, because they weren't exactly _mortal_.

But this person was breathing. They were obviously still alive.

"What do you think?" Jhon asked him as he, too, ventured just a little closer. "They appear to be a hexer, after all."

"Yeah," Axel murmured before he heaved a sigh. "Let's drag them inside. They could either be a victim themselves, or the perpetrator. Either way, we can't leave them."

"Fair enough," Jhon said in response as he quickly sheathed his sword and set about helping Axel to lift the limp figure from the ground before unceremoniously hefting them over Axel's shoulder in what many people would dub the 'fireman hold'.

Despite the weight on his shoulder, Axel easily pushed himself back to his feet and carried the still unmoving form back inside the inn. As he wondered where he should take the potential patient and what to do with them, Lynus suddenly appeared from the tearoom with an expression of confusion on his face.

"Axel?" he called out. "I feel as if there's a strange presence-oh!"

When Lynus noticed that Axel was carrying someone over his shoulder, he gasped aloud before his hand flew up toward his mouth in shock. "W-what happened?"

"Don't know," Axel answered honestly as Jhon and Magnus appeared on either side of him. "Magnus found them like this. Where do you want them?"

"Place them on the couch over there," Lynus immediately instructed as he pointed back into the tearoom.

As Axel walked into the tearoom with his new cargo, the others occupants of the room all made sounds of surprise as well before they hurried to clear the way for him to place the still unnervingly still form onto a couch by the window. With Jhon's help, he was able to place the person down onto the couch and was finally able to see what they looked like under the lighting of the room.

Their face was drawn and pale, their hair a strange colour – not quite grey, but most certainly not white either. There was a braided red band around their forehead and their tattered robes were a maroon in colour. He also had gold chains wrapped around him, secure in place with a strange round bell.

They had to be a hexer.

Axel hoped he hadn't made a terrible mistake letting them inside.

"Let's see," Lynus murmured as he stood next to Axel, making no attempt to usher him away, instead simply lifted his hands over the still form and closed his eyes. "A hexer. Male. And…"

Lynus suddenly drew in a sharp breath and his hands shook ever so slightly. "There are…so many curses," he muttered as he opened his eyes and nibbled on his bottom lip. "I don't…I don't know where to start."

So…the guy was a victim, too?

Axel glanced up at Jhon and shared a look of concern with him. Jhon nodded his head ever so slightly before he indicated to everyone else to keep back, to stay in that protective loose circle around Lynus and the hexer.

Lynus pulled his hands back for a moment before he swallowed thickly and lifted them back over them. "I wonder if…"

Before Axel, or anyone else for that matter, could ask him what he was wishing to attempt, a soft refresh spell tumbled from Lynus' lips and he hands glowed a soft green.

But then Lynus suddenly screamed in pain, the sound so harsh that it was like it was ripped from his throat, and lurched forward. His hands flew up to grasp at his chest as he stumbled back a couple of steps, his legs all but crumbling beneath him.

Axel immediately sprung forward and practically scooped Lynus into his arms. He cradled him against his chest as one arm wrapped around his waist to keep him standing as the other wound around his chest, immediately realising that Lynus was desperately taking in gulps of air. "What? What's wrong?"

Lynus coughed and wheezed for a few intense moments before he drew in a slow, shaky breath. "I-I feel as if I had just been punched in the chest…" he whimpered.

Axel frowned. "Those curses. You removed them, didn't you?"

Slowly, Lynus nodded his head.

Axel wanted to yell that he shouldn't have done that. Not after what happened to him. Not after sleeping for several hours straight from sheer exhaustion. Not after admitting to him that removing curses _hurt_. But he didn't say anything. He gritted his teeth and held him closer when he heard him breathlessly whisper something.

An apology.

A soft groan suddenly echoed through the room and that sound prompted everyone to immediately turn their attention back to the robed figure on the couch.

Axel immediately glanced over at Jhon, silently telling him to keep everyone back just in case, which the blond-haired protector promptly did so. Axel then turned his attention back toward the hexer and pulled Lynus closer toward him.

They watched, with some alarm, as hands slipped from the tattered robes to push himself up into a sitting position on the couch. He touched his head as he twisted to plant his feet on the floor, vocalising a few more aches and pains.

He then sat up straight and didn't seemed all that concerned that he was in a room filled with strangers. He looked back and forth between them all, his expression unchanging from that of stoic interest.

"Good," he suddenly said as he tilted his head to the side. "You are suspicious of me."

That…wasn't quite the response Axel was expecting.

"Comes with the territory," Axel said as he kept his arms securely around Lynus, positioning him so that he was between him and the hexer.

"Hm," the man unexpectedly hummed in an idle way as he straightened his posture. He then tilted his head forward, as if greeting them in some way. "My name is Mahogany. I am a representative of the Curse Academy."

Lynus peeked around Axel. "Curse Academy?"

"Yes," he replied as he turned his light red eyes in Lynus and Axel's direction. "As the name suggests, it is a place where hexers can learn their craft and become accustomed to the life of a hexer."

Right…hexers were made, not born.

The hexer known as Mahogany unexpectedly tilted his head to the side as he regarded Lynus with a curious expression. There was no malice or ill-intent in his gaze at all, yet he seemed to recognise him somehow. "Ah, the Miracle Medic if I'm not mistaken."

Lynus blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

Mahogany nodded his head in a rather sagely manner. "Tales of your healing abilities have even reached the walls of the Curse Academy."

While Lynus flushed a pretty pink at the prospect, Axel couldn't help but frown slightly. "Is that so…" he muttered.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Mahogany said as he bowed his head forward slightly again.

"Oh, ah, y-you as well," Lynus returned as he timidly pushed away from Axel's chest, though allowed for him to keep an arm across his stomach to pull him back at the smallest hint of danger. "Um, sorry, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Mahogany folded his hands upon his lap as he unexpectedly pushed back against the couch and seemed to get himself comfortable. "You wish to know how I came to be in this predicament."

Lynus blinked before he nodded his head. "Well, yes. And who or what placed all those curses upon you."

"As I had stated before, I am a representative of the Cursed Academy," Mahogany began to speak without even a hint of hesitation. "And I am on the trail of a few wayward students. They are fledging hexers and are interested in knowing how much power they actually possess."

Axel, along with probably everyone else in the room, was momentarily surprised by how forthcoming he was with that information. "On you?" he asked.

Mahogany nodded his head. "On anyone they deem vulnerable."

Axel felt a surge of frustration rush through him as Lynus held his chin in thought.

"So Hexers are behind all these curses…" Lynus murmured more to himself than to anyone else.

But Mahogany heard him regardless. "Hm?"

"Oh sorry," Lynus said as he dropped his hand from his chin and turned his focus upon the hexer once more. "Let me explain."

Lynus then spent a minute or so explaining to Mahogany what he had encountered at the hospital and how he believed the one responsible for the cursed patients had to be a hexer. Through the entire explanation, Mahogany sat silently, barely making a sound and his expression hardly changed.

After Lynus was done, the room fell into a semi-uncomfortable silence as Mahogany turned his gaze down toward his lap, where his hands were folded neatly.

"It's just as we had feared," Mahogany unexpectedly murmured under his breath.

Axel studied the hexer silently for a few moments. Though he was still wary of him, especially after Lynus' shocking reaction to removing the curses, he could also feel that Mahogany wasn't a threat. Not at the moment at least.

Still, he wasn't about to drop his guard.

"These students attacked you too, right?" Axel asked him, Jhon and the others seemingly 'content' with staying silent in the background, allowing for Axel and Lynus to communicate with the mysterious and suspicious hexer. "What exactly is it that they're trying to do?"

Mahogany glanced up at him with a surprisingly weary expression. "That's just it. They're testing their skills and abilities on an unsuspecting public."

Axel felt his eye twitch. "So basically for shits and giggles?"

"In other words; yes."

"That's…infuriating," Lynus whispered as he subconsciously turned toward Axel.

Mahogany's gaze lingered upon Lynus for a few silent moments. "But you can remove these curses?"

Lynus turned to look back at Mahogany before he slowly nodded his head. "Well, yes, but only one person at a time and not without consequence."

Mahogany tilted his head in interest. "Please continue."

"Well, after I release the curse, I get a sharp pain in my chest," Lynus explained as he placed his hand over the centre of his chest, his fingers unconsciously curling around the fabric of his shirt. "Here."

"Your heart chakra," Mahogany said simply, not looking or sounding surprised in the slightest.

"Y-yes, that's right."

Mahogany turned his gaze back down toward his lap, his red eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Hm. I wonder if they realise this."

"Is it…normal?" Lynus asked almost hesitantly before an expression of concerned appeared on his face when Mahogany unexpectedly tilted to the side, and Lynus unconsciously took a step toward him. "Oh, are you all right?"

A flicker of discomfort appeared on Mahogany's face. "…It seems that the curses' aftermath still lingers."

Though Axel wasn't at all comfortable letting Lynus near the hexer, he also knew better than to interfere when he was in his famous 'mother-hen mode' and made sure to stay within an arm's length of him as Lynus made his way over to Mahogany.

Lynus pressed his palm against Mahogany's forehead and his brow furrowed slightly. "Let's find you a room," he said as he helped Mahogany to his feet, the hexer making absolutely no attempt to furl himself back into his robes like all the other hexers they had encountered. "You need to rest."

A very small smile of gratitude appeared on Mahogany's lips as he allowed Lynus to take him by the arm and aide him toward the door.

"Huh, he's walking?" Macerio suddenly whispered from the back of the room. "I don't think I've ever seen a hexer walk before."

Axel felt a frown tug at his lips as he promptly followed the two out. Come to think of it, neither had he.

"We're still suspicious of you," Axel said as Lynus helped Mahogany into a room that was thankfully located close to the main foyer.

Mahogany glanced over his shoulder at him and nodded his head in acceptance. "As you should be," he said before he stumbled slightly and had to rest for a moment against the doorframe of his new room. "But I am no threat. My energy levels are dangerously low, aren't they, Mr Lynus?"

"Yes, they are," Lynus said in response, concern evident in not only his voice, but in his body posture as he waited patiently for Mahogany to regain enough strength to push himself into his room. "In your current state, I wouldn't even suggest solid foods for a few days."

"I've always preferred broth anyway," Mahogany murmured as he drew in a sharp breath and took a few shaky steps into the room.

Axel waited outside the room, still very much on guard, but also somewhat confident that Lynus was in no immediate danger. The slow manoeuvring of his hands and the shuffling of his feet, and the difficulty he had keeping himself upright; that type of fatigue he was displaying was something that could not be faked.

Lynus lingered in the room for a few moments longer than probably necessary, but he soon stepped out and closed the door behind him. He then turned to lean against it with a sigh. "Asleep before he hit the pillow," he said.

"He's certainly a character," Axel muttered as he stepped in front of Lynus and placed his hands on his hips.

Lynus gave him a tired smile as he placed his hands upon Axel's arms and nodded his head. "Hexers certainly are unique," he said before an expression of sheer weariness appeared on his face. "Dr Stiles won't be pleased when he finds out that there is more than one hexer who is potentially behind all the cursed patients."

"He's going to be pissed?"

"That's going to be a bit of an understatement, really."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Yay, I got this chapter done~ I should have next week's done as well, but after that Octopath Traveller comes out and I don't know what will happen then. I initially wasn't all that interested in it until thispleasestormod told me about Alfyn. And it took me mere minutes to fall in love with this precious good boy. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Hope you enjoy reading~!

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Chapter 4:

Dr Stiles listened silently and intently as Lynus told him what he had learnt from the mysterious hexer Mahogany. About how he theorises that a band of rogue academy students were possibly behind the curse plague, and how whoever tried to remove said curses would likely receive painful retaliation.

After Lynus was done, silence reigned over Dr Stiles' office, the head doctor staring forward with his hands folded under his chin and a truly intense look of thought on his face.

He suddenly slapped his hand atop of his desk, the sharp crack breaking the silence and causing Lynus to jump in his seat. He gripped onto the arms to prevent himself from actually falling out of it.

"Ok, now I'm pissed," he said with an irritated twitch of his eye. "A group of rogue hexers on the loose? Great, just what we need. Though, it does explain a lot."

Lynus gave Dr Stiles a half smile as he settled himself back into his seat. He knew that he wouldn't have been pleased, but the hit against his desk still caught him by surprised.

"Where is this hexer now?" Dr Stiles asked him as he, too, tried to settle himself down, to not allow his frustrations to get the better of him.

"He's still resting at the inn," Lynus explained. "From what I could gather; he's been suffering from the same curses as our patients."

Dr Stiles nodded his head as he mused to himself for a moment or two. "Do you trust him?" he unexpectedly inquired.

Lynus pressed his lips together as he mulled over the question. "Well, honestly, trust is a board term, isn't it? Let's put it this way; he's truthful and not a threat."

That answered seemed to satisfy him enough and Dr Stiles nodded his head once again. "That's a start," he muttered as he leaned back into his chair and pulled his glasses from his nose to idly clean with a piece of cloth he pulled from his pocket. "Speaking of starts, what do you suggest we should do? We are receiving more patients with curses by the hour. And I refuse to let you heal them all. Not after what happened yesterday."

"I'm afraid I don't have much to offer you," Lynus said with a sigh as he idly rubbed the centre of his chest. "Keep them comfortable until we can find a way to remove the hexes without receiving pain in return."

He couldn't help but release another sigh. As a medic, he was supposed to stop the pain in others, to ensure that they have the highest quality of life possible. So leaving patients with aliments he knew he could remove himself was troubling. But…he honestly couldn't go through that pain again. Especially not after he healed Mahogany. That pain lingered for far too long.

"Still, at least I have a better idea of what we're dealing with," Lynus continue. "I've done a little bit of research on hexers in the past and thanks to the events of yesterday, I have a slightly better grasp on their skills. I'm going to spend some time in the library. I want to look up ways, potions or even accessories, to prevent people from being cursed in the first place."

Dr Stiles nodded his head in acceptance as he placed his glasses back upon his nose and idly pushed them up. "Other than removing them, that's all we can do at the moment," he said before he placed his hands atop of his desk and pushed himself to his feet in a subtly haggard manner. "I better warn the other staff. To be on guard and made aware of possible more patients. But we're going to need a bigger hospital if this keeps up."

Lynus pushed himself to his feet as well and immediately reached for his medical bag that sat near his feet. "I'll work as quickly as I can," he promised as the two of them quickly vacated his office.

As Lynus followed Dr Stiles out of the office and into the hallway, he felt a soft smile spread across his lips when he noticed that Axel was there, leaning with his back against the wall next to the door and arms folded. He had escorted him to the hospital that morning and chances were that he was going to be shadowing him all day.

Not that he was complaining.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I am now under armed escort everywhere I go," Lynus said light-heartedly as Axel pushed away from the wall and immediately reached out to him, his arm slipping so effortlessly around his waist and tugging him toward him.

Axel gave a small laugh as he pecked him lightly on the cheek. "Not surprising at all," he said as he pulled back before an expression of unease and concern appeared on his face. "Things are getting pretty bad, though. I've never seen so many patients at the hospital before."

Lynus sighed as he subconsciously leaned toward Axel to seek his comfort. "Yes, and I'm afraid we're no closer to bringing it to an end. If Mahogany is to be trusted, then we have more than one hexer causing trouble."

"Yeah…" Axel murmured as he glanced around warily. "Any plans at all?"

"The library," Lynus said as he motioned down the hall with a tilt of his head. "I'm going to do some research since Dr Stiles won't let me see to any patients today."

Axel kept his arm around Lynus waist to ensure he stayed at his side as the two of them headed in the direction of the library. In all honesty, though, Lynus wasn't entirely sure he would be able to discover any useful information in the hospital library. The powers and skills of hexers weren't exactly widely known. The vast majority of them didn't understand their own powers themselves. They use…knew how to use them. Nothing more.

Still, it was better than sitting around and doing nothing.

"Sorry, I don't know how long I'll be," Lynus said as he stopped in front of the two large doors leading into the library.

Axel nodded his head in understanding. "I'll wait. It's not like I can do anything to help, though."

Lynus glanced up at Axel with an empathetic look. He was more than certain that Axel was inwardly furious that he couldn't do more to help. And he was more than certain that there were many others who felt the same way.

"We're all helpless right now," he said before he reached out with his hand to take Axel's hand in his, squeezing gently as he gave him a small smile. "But you can still help me. I need books on hexers and curses. If you could search the selves for me, that would be incredible."

A flicker of relief appeared in Axel's eyes and he quickly nodded his head in acceptance. "Sure, I can do that," he said as they both stepped into the library.

Lynus gave him another smile as he led him into a secluded corner where some of the more contentious medical journals and documents could be found. Since he was dealing with hexers, he figured it was the best place to start.

After dropping his bag next to a table and chair set, both Lynus and Axel turned their attention toward the tall bookcase. Needless to say, Lynus looked at the lower shelves while Axel focused on the higher shelves.

A few silent minutes passed and Lynus finally managed to snare a book that looked somewhat promising. "I think I found one," he said as he pulled it off the shelf and turned toward the table to sit down and take notes.

"I think there's a few more," Axel muttered as he flipped a few books himself. "Not many, though. I think it's a bit cruel to have cures to severe back pain on the top shelf, though."

Lynus felt a laugh bubble from his throat and he shook his head as he sat down. Carefully placing the seemingly quite ancient book on the table in front of him, he reached into his bag to pull out a notebook. He needed to write down anything even remotely useful or plausible at this point.

As he flipped through the worn textbook, he found his thoughts drift back to yesterday. Other than learning how painful it was to remove numerous hexes at once, he had also discovered a few other very important things while he dealt with the patients in the critical care unit. All their auras had been weakened in some way, so it made sense when Mahogany said that the hexers were after the vulnerable.

So…he had to find a balance between protecting against harmful dark magic while allowing for restorative light magic to strengthen a person's aura. He also needed to find a way to prevent curses from entering the aura without restricting the aura itself. Restricting the aura was to actually weaken it, allowing for curses to take hold.

It was definitely going to be a balancing act.

However, as he flipped through another book Axel managed to find for him, he realised that there were ways to limit such status attacks or curses, but not outright prevent them. Full immunity seemed to be a problem. Also, they only protected the wearer from one type of curse at a time.

Lynus wasn't…happy with that. Surely there had to be a way to protect an individual (or better, groups of people) from cursing?

…Before all that, though, he needed to find a way to protect himself from the repercussions of the hexes. Taking care of and healing himself had never been his strong points. It was going to be a very steep learning curve for him.

"There isn't much information on hexers here," Axel's voice pulled Lynus from his musings.

"No," Lynus murmured before he sighed and looked up at Axel who had moved to stand next to him, a hand on the back of his chair. "They're a mysterious bunch, alright."

Axel furrowed his brow as he nodded his head. "Discover anything useful?"

"Well, sort of," Lynus answered honestly as he motioned to the book in front of him, prompting Axel to lean slightly over him to have a look himself. "Theoretically there are ways to limit the chance of a curse taking hold, but as far as I am aware, these accessories and potions haven't been made yet. I wonder if there is a reason for that."

Axel was silent for a moment as he eyes ran over the pages before his frown deepened. "It's going to be a bit hard placing complete faith in something that hasn't been used before."

Lynus sighed and rubbed at his forehead with his hand. "Precisely. This isn't exactly something we can afford to use trial and error for. Looks like I'll have to ask Mahogany more questions. Hopefully he can shed some light on the seriousness of our situation."

"Then my timing is impeccable."

"Oh?" Lynus murmured as he glanced over to the door of the library, immediately spying a certain war magus as he stepped into the room. "Hamza?"

Hamza granted him a small smile as he nodded his head. "Our mysterious hexer guest is awake. And wishes to speak with you."

"Oh, good," Lynus said with a tone of relief as he closed the book he was reading and allowed for Axel to help him take to his feet. "We honestly need all the help we can get."

Hamza simply tilted his head forward in acknowledgement before he indicated toward the door with a slight wave of his hand. "I take it you wish to speak to him now?"

Lynus nodded his head idly as he scooped up the book with possible tonics and potions, and placed it securely into his bag. "The sooner the better," he said as the three of them quickly stepped out into the hallway and headed straight for the exit of the hospital.

Along the way, Lynus couldn't help but notice how frazzled and haggard his fellow medics as they passed him appeared to be. And that made him feel a sense of guilty as well as concern.

"Hamza?" he called out to get the war magus' attention, who of which was walking in front of him. "Do you think it's safe for Cedric to be on his own? He's still recovering himself. And Mahogany said that these hexers are targeting those they believe are vulnerable to their curses."

"I understand your concerns well, Lynus," Hamza replied with a stoic expression, but the tightness of his jaw indicated that it was a thought that had been troubling him for quite some time. "I may have to move him temporary into the inn. Perhaps I could talk Macerio into rooming with Lirit and Rahas."

Macerio might feel better rooming with the two of them as well.

"If I can make something to ward off hexes, I'll give it to Cedric as a back-up," Lynus said as he idly readjusted the strap of his bag upon his shoulder. "Those his lungs have mostly healed, I don't want to take any chances."

"I'm sure he would appreciate that gesture very much," Hamza returned with a genuine sense of gratitude in his voice.

After Lynus spoke with Mahogany, he would take a closer look at the tonics and possible accessories in that book he found. Whether or not they were able to do as they claimed, it was all they had to try at this point in time.

As they headed down the stone steps from the hospital, Lynus felt a soft twinge at the back of his mind and he looked up at his surroundings with a confused look. When he did, he immediately noticed an elderly woman being aided up the stairs with two others, they on either side of her.

The elderly woman suddenly lifted her head up and her gaze locked with his. And an expression that could only be described as desperation appeared on his face and she made a motion toward him with her hands.

"You," she breathed. "You are the Miracle Medic, aren't you?"

Lynus stopped a couple of steps away from the woman and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. He didn't need to read this woman's chakra points to know that she was suffering from a curse. He could see it so easily. It was a small one, seemingly placed there recently. One that was slowly draining her of her energy. And since she was elderly, she didn't have all that much energy to begin with.

"Oh, ah, I'm a medic," Lynus said in response.

"Please," the woman wheezed as she reached out to him and Lynus allowed her to take one of his hands in her, her grip desperate but weak. "Miracle Medic, please bless me with your wonderful healing light."

Bless? He wasn't sure if he could 'bless' her, but he could ease her of her curse. Though he had promised Axel and Dr Stiles that he wouldn't remove any more curses until he knew how to prevent himself from suffering the consequences, but one more wouldn't hurt. This woman was obviously suffering.

Lynus gave the elderly woman a soft smile as he clasped her hands with his. "I can offer you some relief," he said. "Please close your eyes. This will only take a moment."

The elderly woman surprisingly closed her eyes readily, she having great trust in him which was somewhat…unexpected. He chose not to dwell on it, though, as he lifted his hand and gently pressed his palm against her forehead. It only took him a short moment to find the dark spot causing her trouble and after a soft refresh, he removed it.

Once again he had to bit the inside of his mouth to prevent himself from physically reacting when he felt a sharp tang in the centre of his chest. And the woman reacted in turn, shuddering as she drew in a deep, sharp breath.

"Thank you, oh thank you, Miracle Medic," the elderly woman unexpectedly sobbed as she gripped his hands as tightly as she could. "Your blessed healing is truly a gift from the heavens. A true blessing you are."

Lynus simply smiled at her and gently patted the back of her hand, not knowing what to say. How could he tell the elderly woman in front of him that he didn't bless her, rather cured her of a curse? Would she know the difference? Would she accept it? Never mind that, how could he tell her that she had actually been cursed? Should he ask her if she had a run in with a hexer?

He honestly didn't know what to do.

"N-no, it's fine," he finally managed to stutter. "It's just what I do."

It took him a further minute or so to convince the woman to let go of his hand and to return to the hospital should she develop any of those strange symptoms again. However, she insisted that since he had 'blessed' her now, she was in no danger of ill health again.

Lynus rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the elderly woman and her companions move away from the hospital. A blessing, huh? Were his healing skills that…outstanding in comparison to the other medics and healers that worked at the hospital?

"I don't know how to feel about that," he murmured under his breath.

Axel slipped an arm around his shoulders and tugged his to his side once more as the three of them continued on their way back to the inn. "At least they're putting their faith in an actual medic, and not some crackpot standing on a soapbox around the corner."

That was one way of looking at things. But it was worrying, too. There could be potentially be more suffering from curses but were somewhat unaware of them or were reluctant to seek help for whatever reason.

A chill, one that could only be described as deathly cold, suddenly raced down Lynus' spine, causing him to stiffen and turn around, unwittingly pulling himself from Axel's grip. He gripped the strap of his bag tightly as his gaze turn toward a shadow alleyway that was located close by.

"T-that's…"

That feeling was nothing short of ominous. Something was watching them. Something with a dark aura. But they weren't a monster. But…something else.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"There's…someone here," Lynus muttered as he kept his gaze focused in on the alleyway, mildly noticing that Axel and Hamza had moved to stand on either side of him.

From the shadows, a figure suddenly appeared. With pale white skin that was oddly youthful despite the sunken eyes and cheeks, with robes of black and orange tied to a lithe frame with silver chains appeared. A male hexer by appearance and aura, he unexpectedly muttered a low string of words under his breath, his piercing yellow eyes unblinking in their direction.

Next to him, Hamza suddenly made a low grunting noise and as Lynus turned to look he saw that Hamza now had dark green vine like bindings tied tightly around his abdomen and torso, effectively pinning his arms to his sides.

"H-Hamza?" Lynus found himself stuttering out in alarm as the war magus gritted his teeth and took a stumbling step back as he pulled and strained against his bindings.

"The hell?" Axel hissed as he reached out to snare a hold of his axe in one hand, the other instinctively reaching out to push Lynus behind him. "Who-?"

Turning his piercing gaze toward him, the hexer spat out another string of words. And as he did, those same green vines coiled up from the ground and wrapped themselves tightly around Axel's ankles and knees, purposely pulling him off balance and to fall to the ground.

Axel grunted as he landed half on his back. "The fuck?"

"A landsknecht is no match for my curses," the hexer said with a slightly haughty tone to his voice. "Even you are vulnerable."

"Axel!" Lynus cried out in surprise as he turned to face Axel on the ground only to stiffen in alarm when he felt the hexer's piercing gaze fall directly onto him. His grip on his bag tightened as he spun around the face the unnamed hexer. "What are you doing?"

"You," the hexer hissed at him. "Did you just remove my curse?"

Lynus took a half step back from the intimidation of the hexer's aura. "Your curse? That elderly woman? Why?"

The hexer, of course, didn't answer his questions, instead narrowed his eyes so menacingly at him. "Medic," he said lowly again, his voice causing yet another cold shiver to race down Lynus' spine. "Let's see how you'll deal with a cranium curse."

"W-what?" Lynus stuttered as the hexer began to recite yet more disjointed words.

He, however, winced as he prepared himself for the restricting binds of being head bound. Though he had never endured such a thing previously, he had been told that it was akin to that of a terrible migraine. One where thinking rational thought and using skills that required mental exertion was near impossible.

So he braced himself but gritting his teeth and reaching into his bag for a bottle of medicine that would be able to at least ease the symptoms of the head binding.

But as the hexer muttered a string of words he could not understand and the coils of his tattered robes all but bristled…

Nothing happened.

Lynus furrowed his brow as he mentally inspected himself. He could focus just fine. Absolutely no dark spots in his own aura. He wondered if he somehow managed to avoid the curse. Perhaps because he had experienced with different types of curses now?

The hexer suddenly narrowed his eyes at him, confused and somewhat unsettled. However, he soon glared at him before he drifted backwards into the shadows, his eyes staying focused upon Lynus until they abruptly disappeared along with the hexer himself.

And Lynus could no longer feel his ominous presence. As suddenly as that hexer had appeared, he disappeared.

He breathed a shaky sigh of relief before he turned on his heel and hurried over to Axel, who was still tugging at the vine like bindings around his ankles.

"Are you all right?" Lynus asked as he reached down and easily pulled the bindings apart, the vine-like coils disintegrating in his hand as he used an unbind spell. And as he did so, he felt that unfortunately becoming all too familiar pain in his chest. But, as before, he ignored it.

"Yeah," Axel answered in a slightly frustrated way as he kicked at the rest of the bindings. "I take it that piece of shit is one of the hexers from the Curse Academy."

Lynus sighed as he pushed himself to his feet and quickly made his way to Hamza, doing the same with the bindings locking his arms to his sides. "If we are to assume anything, yes. He seemed agitated that I removed that curse from that elderly woman."

"How did you know he was there?" Hamza asked as he idly rubbed at his arm where the binding had dug painfully into his skin from his struggles.

"His aura," Lynus answered truthfully as Axel quickly climbed to his feet, his hand upon the handle of his axe again. "It's not human, but it's not like that of a monster either. I think…I should be able to sense him again should he come close enough."

But because of that short and abrupt spectacle, they now knew for certain that at least one hexer had been going around and cursing people. And Lynus doubted that he was working alone. There had to be more. How many? Well, that was a question for Mahogany to answer. Hopefully.

"Things may escalate from this point," Hamza said as he cast a wary glance at their surroundings. "Let's hurry to the inn. We need as much help as possible."

"Right."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** I was on a writing streak this week~ Not sure how well next week's updates will happen, but I'll give it my best shot. In any case, hope you enjoy reading!

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Chapter 5:

Back in the safety of the inn, Hamza had immediately gone in search for the others while Axel escorted Lynus to the room Mahogany was currently staying in. Axel had wanted to be in the room with him, but Lynus felt it would be better if he spoke to Mahogany on his own. Though the hexer didn't seem to be intimidated by Axel, there was a possibility that he may keep certain facts hidden or would be reluctant to answer some of Lynus' questions if Axel was standing tersely and on guard by the door.

Of course, it took Lynus about five minutes to convince Axel that he was going to be fine. And at the end he had to settle for Axel standing guard just outside the door.

In all honesty, though, Axel's protectiveness was appreciated. He felt an enormous sense of security at knowing that Axel would be just outside the door. If anything should go wrong, Axel was a mere few steps away.

Not that Lynus felt that he was in any kind of danger being within Mahogany's presence. The mysterious hexer was still in a very fragile state, health wise. Physically too, most likely. And, honesty, Lynus just could not see or sense Mahogany holding any ill intent toward him.

But after what happened just moments ago, he was still on edge. And with Axel's aura strong and true close by, he felt safe.

Drawing in a deep breath, Lynus softly knocked on the door before trying the handle and slowly opening it. He peeked inside to find Mahogany sitting up in his bed, pillows piled against his back and the headboard, the bedsheets pooled at his waist.

Mahogany turned to look at him the moment he stepped through the door and tilted his head to the side. "Hm? You look haggard. Did something happen?"

Lynus gave him a weary smile as he closed the door and crossed the floor to stop by an empty chair next to Mahogany's bed. "We had an encounter with someone we believe to be one of the students you're looking for."

Mahogany's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, though his stoic expression remained unchanged. "And you got away without a curse?"

Sinking down onto the chair, Lynus dropped his bag next to his feet but within reaching distance. "He managed to bind Axel's legs and Hamza's arms, but I was able to remove them easily enough."

"He didn't curse you?" Mahogany asked him.

"No, surprisingly," Lynus answered with a slight shake of his head. "He tried, though. A cranium curse, I think."

"I see…" Mahogany murmured as he turned his gaze down toward his lap where his hands were folded neatly and he started to mumble to himself. "He failed? I find that hard to believe…"

He said something else, but Lynus was unable to catch the words. "Pardon?"

Mahogany flicked his deep red eyes in his direction and seemed to simply look at him for a short moment before he shook his head. "No, it's nothing."

Lynus decided not to push him. Instead he bent forward to retrieve a notebook from his bag. He had more pressing matters to address first. "Do you mind if I ask you a few more questions?"

Mahogany nodded his head, having anticipated that he would most likely be interrogated for answers. "Very well. But please note that some of the things I tell you, you may not fully understand. The life of a hexer is…a mysterious one."

"Yes, I understand," Lynus responded as he flipped his notebook open to a spare page and pulled out the pencil he kept in the spine of the book. "I'd like to start with why I get this pain in my chest whenever I remove a curse."

"The pain you feel in your chest is your body's way of informing you that the curse you had encountered is deliberate and powerful," Mahogany explained readily, without even a hint of hesitation in his voice. "And it, in turn, has the power to affect you, the one who is able to remove it."

Lynus nodded his head as he jotted down the information. So chances were, the more powerful the hex or curse, the more violent the reaction will be upon its removal.

In other words, they probably knew exactly what they were doing.

"Is there any other way to remove these hexes without there being repercussions?"

"Potions and tonics can remove some," Mahogany again answered quickly but gave a slight shake of his head, almost as if in exasperation. "But not all."

Lynus chewed on his bottom lip as he stared down at the book in his lap. "I was afraid of that…" he murmured.

"If you wish to continue to remove these hexes," Mahogany continued, prompting Lynus to lift his gaze toward him once more. "You must find a way to protect yourself."

Yeah, he had already come to that conclusion as well.

"How can I go about protecting myself?"

Mahogany unexpectedly sighed and shook his head, his shoulders sagging just a little from fatigue. "That, I cannot answer. I am not a healer by any stretch. The only advice I can give is to strengthen your own aura." He suddenly pressed his lips together tightly and he turned his gaze down to his lap once more. "Though…I…don't know if you should…" he mumbled to him yet again.

Lynus leaned forward in his seat, his brow furrowed slightly as he tried to catch what Mahogany was mumbling. "What is it?"

"No, it's nothing," Mahogany unexpectedly returned quickly as he snapped his attention back to him. "Just a random trail of thought."

Lynus didn't truly believe him, but he knew that pressing the matter wasn't going to get him anywhere. He needed Mahogany to be open and truthful to him, and one didn't gain another's trust by making demands or threatening them. Trust took time. Time he didn't necessarily have…

"Is there anything you can tell us about these students that you have been searching for?" Lynus asked, desperately seeking more information.

Mahogany nodded his head slightly as his eyes locked with Lynus'. "All that I can offer you is a bit of a profile; they are extremely cocky, self-centred and more than willing to use their curses upon anyone they see fit. Their ability to narrow a curse's true intention into a form of pure malice is their most wicked tribute. Stopping them won't be easy. Only if they encounter someone or something that is able to block their ability to cast their curses, then perhaps they may flee."

Lynus felt his heart drop in his chest. "Getting them to flee is all we can hope for?"

Again, Mahogany nodded his head idly. "Either out of boredom or fear."

That was…really the best they could hope for. Lynus didn't want there to be a physical confrontation to occur. He didn't want to have to resort to having to physically stop these student hexers from causing trouble. But…they need to be stopped. Soon.

"How many students?" Lynus asked softly.

"About six in total."

It was just…a little hard to fathom how six hexers could cause so much trouble. The hospital was reaching full capacity at an unprecedented rate. Could five hexers be personally responsible for all the cursed patients? Or was there another way?

"This might…" Lynus hesitated for a moment before deciding to simply push onward. "This might be an odd question, but is it possible for people to be cursed by, well, objects that have also been cursed?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Mahogany unexpectedly answered quickly. "Though not as potent as the ones that were deliberately placed by a hexer themselves."

Honestly, that answer was disheartening. Not only did he have to worry about the hexers themselves, but there was a possibility that there was a magnitude of cursed objects hexing people as well. Though it did explain the influx of patients.

But…he needed to find those cursed objects too. Before that, though…

"Will it be possible for me to use my healing abilities to lift curses from objects, too?"

Mahogany tilted his head to the side slightly as a look of contemplation appeared on his face. "Theoretically, it does seem possible. But from what I am aware, it has never been done."

Lynus released a sigh, his shoulders drooping forward. "I see…" he murmured as he tightened his grip on his pencil.

Where should he start first? Find a way to stop the curses' backlash against him? Create potions and tonics to lessen the impact of the hexes? Look into the possibility of cursed objects scattered around town? Look for the hexers themselves?

He…had his work cut out for him. And he wasn't sure he could do it alone.

Lynus released another sigh as he lifted his head up to look at Mahogany, to ask him if he had any more wisdom to offer but he stilled when he realised that Mahogany looked…vacant. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, his face pale.

And he suddenly tilted to the side, threatening to fall off the bed.

Lynus immediately leapt out of his chair, his book tumbled onto the floor from his lap as he instinctively reached out to steady Mahogany as he slumped forward and off to the side, and felt greatly alarmed when Mahogany fell against him limply. He managed to stop him from slipping onto the floor entirely and carefully placed him back onto his bed and on his side. He stilled for a moment as he carefully checked Mahogany's aura. There were no dark spots to be found and his breathing and heartrate was normal. He was just…dreaming?

Did he fall asleep? Well, that was possible. Mahogany was still deeply imbued into the realm of sheer exhaustion and fatigue. Falling asleep mid conversation would not at all be surprising.

Slowly, Mahogany began to stir and uttered small noises of protest under his breath as he abruptly began to push himself up onto his elbows.

"Easy," Lynus said as he placed a hand on his arm in an attempt to stop him from moving. "Don't try to move. You suddenly passed out."

But Mahogany shook his head and continued to push himself to sit up. "It's fine. It's happened before."

Lynus frowned at him in concern. "What do you mean? It isn't normal to pass out suddenly."

Mahogany lifted his head enough to look him dead in the eyes. "Hexers aren't normal."

"W-well, I guess so," Lynus spluttered as he hunched his shoulders slightly and slipped back to his chair, somewhat intimidated by Mahogany's gaze. "Still…"

It took Mahogany a moment or two to settle himself back against his pillows and he stared forward in front of him, a slightly contemplative expression on his face. He appeared to be mulling over something. And the way he was chewing subtly on his bottom lip, it seemed important.

"There's…something you should know," he finally said.

"Yes?" Lynus gently urged.

"I have the ability to see the memories of others," Mahogany unexpectedly said, his tone forthright and firm. "Random memories of significant events. Even when that person wasn't thinking of that memory at that moment."

…That was…He wasn't expecting something like that to be completely honest.

"Is that why you passed out?" Lynus asked with a slight furrowing of his brow. "You were receiving a memory?"

Mahogany nodded his head as he looked him straight in the eyes. "Viewing it, actually. One of yours."

Lynus felt his breath hitch in his throat as he heartrate increased drastically. "W-what? W-which one?"

"Scylla."

Lynus winced and swallowed thickly, desperate not to allow himself to recall those painful memories himself. "O-oh? What-?"

"You should have died," Mahogany said bluntly.

Lynus stilled and stared at the man in front of him. He didn't know what to say, what to think. D-did he really see his memories of that time? Was that possible?

Mahogany continued to look him straight into his eyes, seemingly staring straight into his very soul. "Had you been a normal medic, she would have drained you of your healing abilities completely within an hour. Even if you had somehow survived that, you should not have been able to heal again."

"…What are you saying?" Lynus whispered breathlessly, unable to tear his own gaze away from Mahogany.

"You're not a _normal_ medic."

Lynus suddenly felt nauseated and lightheaded. He didn't know why. He just felt…breathless. Those words. The way Mahogany stared straight through him. He was…telling the truth. He was being truthful. He…

"I…h-have to go," Lynus whispered before he shakily bend forward to scoop up his notebook and hastily gathered his bag into his arms. He took to his feet as he placed his bag upon his shoulder with a shaky hand and clutched the notebook against his chest.

"You should get some rest," he said as he hastily backed toward the door, noting that Mahogany was looking at him with a purely curious expression on his face. "E-excuse me."

Lynus then turned on his feet and opened the door to stumble hastily through. He pulled the door closed behind him as he stepped out into the hallway and found himself leaning against is at he stared down at the floor, his notebook clutched painfully tight against his chest.

What…what did he mean? Not a normal medic. The way he said it, it was like…he was a complete anomaly. An irregularity. Something that…shouldn't exist?

"Lynus?"

A pair of arms suddenly found themselves around Lynus, causing him to jump in surprise before he immediately settled down against a very familiar and comforting chest. Relaxing his hold on his notebook, he pressed his face against Axel's shoulder and slipped an arm around him in return, grasping at the back of his shirt.

"What happened?" Axel gently demanded as he held him tightly. "Did he do something?"

Lynus shook his head but kept his face against Axel's shoulder in need of his comfort. "N-no, he just…nothing," he murmured before he pulled away slightly to look up at his redhead. "I'm over thinking things."

"I don't believe that," Axel returned, ensuring that his arms stayed secure and warm around him.

"I know," Lynus replied with a small, somewhat sheepish smile before he shook his head slightly one more. "Sorry. It's just…he knew about Scylla."

A subtle expression of distressed appeared on Axel's face for a fraction of a moment and his embraced around Lynus tightened slightly. "How?" he asked, his jaw tense.

Lynus pressed forward to rest against Axel's chest, his head nuzzled under his chin in an attempt to calm and soothe the apprehensive redhead. "Apparently he has the ability to see memories of others. He said I should have died."

Axel made no attempt to verbally respond. He simply rested his chin atop of Lynus' head and snuck a hand up his back to gently toy with the strands of his orange hair.

"But I didn't," Lynus continued in hope of preventing Axel from remembering that nearly tragic event. "So there's no use dwelling on it, is there?"

"Lynus?"

The sound of Hamza's voice, one that held confusion as well as concern, caused Lynus to gently push away from Axel, though he ensured to stay within his arms nonetheless. The turned his head to the side to see Hamza as he approached them, his brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"A-ah, yes?" Lynus asked.

"Was your talk with Mahogany unsettling for you?" Hamza asked him in return as he paused next to the two of them.

"Yes, no. It's…nothing," Lynus mumbled and shook his head to clear it.

He didn't have the time to dwell on Mahogany's cryptic and unsettling words. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

"He wasn't able to offer much help, unfortunately," Lynus explained to the two other men. "Only that the hexer that attacked us today was most likely one of his former students."

Hamza's frown deepened, he no doubt not all that pleased with the lack of information. And yet he didn't seem all that surprised either. "I have gathered everyone together as I think it would be best to inform them with what we know."

"Which isn't much, but I agree," Lynus replied as he took a half step away from Axel, though subconsciously ensured that he didn't stray too far as he pulled his notebook away from his chest to place back into his bag. "There…might be something we can do. I still have that book that holds possible items and accessories to lessen the impact of curses. Some even claiming to be able to ward off specific curses as well. It's the best thing we've got so far."

"It will do," Hamza said with a firm nod of his head as Lynus pulled the tanned, slightly tattered book from his bag. "Let us move to the tearoom. Everyone should be there now."

As Hamza turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the tearoom, Lynus propped the book into the crook of his arm and turned to Axel. "I'm fine now," he said as he pushed up onto his toes to gently press a kiss to Axel's cheek. "Don't worry. We have plenty of things to worry about as is."

Axel didn't look all that convinced, but he knew the severity of their situation so simply nodded his head as he curled his arm around Lynus' shoulder and turned them both to follow Hamza to the tearoom.

It was honestly a relief to see everyone together again, safe and completely unharmed. Not a single curse amongst them thankfully. Though it should be of no surprise. Mahogany said that the hexers appeared to be targeting the vulnerable first.

Rahas was, as he usually was, by the windows leaning against it with his arms folded across his chest. Near to him was Macerio who was sat on a chair backwards, his arms folded atop of the back of the chair. Lirit was perched on the arm of a couch, close to Macerio as possible and fidgeted nervously with the strings of his lute. Curled up on the couch next to Lirit was Magnus with Zanna sitting happily on his shoulder. Directly behind Magnus stood Shen, his hand resting on the back of the couch. On the other end of the couch sat Jhon, free of his usual armour but his trusty shield at his feet. Tobyn leaned against the arm of the couch next to Jhon, his arms folded across his chest. And, finally, Chi-hung laid on the floor near Tobyn's feet, he lifting his head when Lynus, Axel, and Hamza entered the room.

When the door to the tearoom fell shut behind them, the rest of their guildmaters turned their full attention toward them, each of them wearing subtle expressions of expectation.

Lynus and Axel stood off to the side as Hamza moved to stand in the centre of the room, in front of the fireplace. "You are all already somewhat aware of our current situation so I'll cut to the chase; yes, there is plague of curses tormenting Lagaard. And yes, it appears that rogue student hexers from the Curse Academy are responsible. Axel, Lynus, and I had recently had an encounter with one allege student. Needless to say, that student was more than willing to curse any before him. Even seasoned explorers."

Lynus felt Axel tense next to him so he pressed himself closer against his side. He was more than certain that Axel was internally lamenting his inability to do much during that short confrontation.

"Do we have any more information to work with?" Shen was the one to ask from the back of the group.

Hamza nodded his head before turning to look in Lynus and Axel's direction. "Lynus," he said. "I'll let you take it from here. You understand more than I."

Lynus looked at Hamza for a moment, somewhat startled before he nodded his head in understanding. "Oh, ok."

Hamza granted him a small smile as Axel squeezed his side reassuringly before Hamza took a step back and Lynus took his place in front of the fireplace. He turned to face everyone, immediately realising that they were all looking at him with expression of expectations. They also appear to be looking to him for information, for answers, and for reassurance.

They…needed him.

And he needed to be strong for them.

Lynus drew in a deep breath before he started to speak. "What I understand, though, isn't much. I'll start with the hexes. These hexes and curses affect a person through their aura and they seem to be growing more precise and accurate."

And growing in numbers, too.

"Today, when that hexer attacked Axel, Hamza, and I, his binding curses were significantly stronger than those I have encountered from monsters," Lynus continued with a slight frown on his lips. "He knew exactly where to place his curse to ensure the most impact and the physical and visible bindings were there to add further psychological terror as they were able to materialise them from practically nothing."

Lynus rubbed at his forehead to think for a moment. Those bindings were probably etheric rather than physical manifestations, but there was no need to go into too much detail at this point in time.

"Fortunately, since they took on a physical appearance," Lynus said as he dropped his arm to his side. "I was able to remove them relatively easy with little consequence. And thanks to that little, ah, skit today, I now have a better understanding of their hexes. As well as their auras. I think I should be able to sense them, at least one of them, in the future. I hope that can be used to our advantage in some way."

The room fell into a contemplative silence for a moment and Lynus stayed quiet as well, to allow for his guildmates to mull over and process the information he was able to give them.

"Is there a way to prevent these curses from taking hold in the first place?" Jhon asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Perhaps," Lynus answered honestly as he pulled the book from his arm and flipped through the pages. "In this book are recipes and blueprints for items and accessories claiming to do just that. But I've never heard of any of them before and it'll be hard to place complete faith in something that had been hidden until now. Still, it's all we got. I'm afraid we're going to be needing a few materials from the labyrinth to do this. And some may belong to monsters. Tobyn, I'll give the list of materials to you. You would know their whereabouts far better than I possibly could."

"Right," Tobyn said as he pushed away from the arm of the couch he had been leaning against and quickly made his way over to Lynus and took the book from him. He then promptly turned around to head toward a table and chair set in the corner of the room where he was going to jot down the notes himself. "I'll work on it right away. The others should get ready for a jaunt into the labyrinth."

There was a soft chorus of agreement and understanding, and Lynus could feel their relief upon being given something to do. Sitting around and waiting was something explorers and adventurers had trouble doing. Besides, they had wanted so desperately to help in some way. And gathering materials from the labyrinth was one of the many things they did best.

If nothing else, the discovery of the book allowed for the guild to feel as if they were doing something useful for the time being.

"If at all possible, could you collect more samples from mining spots?" Lynus requested from Tobyn. "Any gemstones or crystals would be helpful."

Tobyn didn't glance up from the book and simply nodded his head as he flipped through the pages and scribbled hastily onto a piece of paper. "It shouldn't be too difficult."

Lynus sighed and shuffled anxiously on his feet. "We may need to split into groups for this."

"Lynus," Hamza suddenly called his name, causing him to turn toward the war magus. "I'm afraid you're going to have to stay in town for now."

"But-" Lynus started to protest but fell silent when Hamza gave him a stern look.

"You're needed here," he said bluntly, leaving no room for argument. "And you are working as hard as is. If you keep this up, you'll end up in a hospital bed. We can't afford to have you out of action at this time."

Lynus couldn't help but wince slightly as his hand absentmindedly wandered up toward the centre of his chest. "…Alright, I understand."

"Good," Hamza said as his expression soothed out and he gave Lynus a small smile before turning to face the rest of their guild. "Everyone else, prepare yourselves. The sooner we can gather the materials needed the better."

"Right!" was the chorus of response before everyone began to do as they were ordered.

"There appears to be some monster materials that can only be harvested after a certain condition," Tobyn piped up from the corner of the room. "And some of these materials I haven't encountered before."

Hamza headed toward Tobyn and paused near him as he glanced over his shoulder. "I suggest we go in pairs then."

Tobyn nodded his head swiftly. "Sure. I'll go with Jhon, Rahas with Macerio, Magnus with Shen, and Axel with Hamza," he said before he lifted his gaze from the book and looked directly over at Lynus. "Chi-hung and Lirit should stay with Lynus to ensure he doesn't push himself."

"A-ah, you don't trust me?" Lynus stuttered when he felt his cheeks heat up a bit.

Tobyn continued to look at him firmly. "When it comes to your own health; no."

…He didn't have to be so blunt about it.

Instead of responding, Lynus just sighed. He then turned to face Axel, whom of which was conversing quietly with Jhon, the two of them looking rather…apprehensive. It wasn't much of a surprise, of course. As strong as they both were, even they were acceptable to hexes and curses.

Lynus waited for the two of them to finish speaking with each other before he approached Axel when Jhon moved to ready himself with his armour. "I'm not exactly happy to be split into groups," he admitted.

"I know," Axel replied as he slipped an arm around Lynus' shoulders and pulled him toward him. "I'm more useful inside the labyrinth than out."

Lynus frowned at him. "That's not true. You're useful wherever you are," he said sternly before sighing and letting his head drop against Axel's chest, suddenly feeling tired. "I don't like being separated from you again like this, but Hamza has a point. I need to stay here and learn more about these curses. And I need to find a way to protect myself from the aftereffects."

Axel gently carded his fingers through Lynus' hair, causing him to tilt his head back to look up at him. "Don't push yourself."

Lynus gave him a small smile. "I know you're incredibly strong, but be careful."

"I will," Axel said before he leaned down to kiss him softly on the lips.

The touch was too fleeting though and reluctantly, they pulled away from each other, so that Axel could pull on his own armour and for Lynus to muse about what he should do. There was little he could do at the inn other than research his own books, specifically his crystal encyclopaedias. However, he felt that he may gather more information on the hexes and curses themselves if he returned to the library at the hospital.

If nothing else, he should at least get a grasp on the severity of their situations from the number of cursed patients that came in.

"Alright you two," Lynus said as he turned to face Lirit and Chi-hung. "Let's head to the hospital's library."

"Hm? Can I tag along?"

The trill of a familiar aura raced up Lynus' spine and he turned around to see a certain silver-haired troubadour lingering near the doorway, a small smile on his lips and his arms folded behind his back as he leaned forward expectantly.

"Oh, Cedric?" Lynus said before a smile of relief appeared on his lips. "Good. Are you moving to the inn for a while?"

"That's what Hamza has suggested I do," Cedric replied as he walked over to them and threw a glance across the room where Hamza was conversing with Tobyn. "He's such a worrywart."

"You'll have to forgive him for the moment," Lynus said as he fiddled anxiously with the strap of his bags. "Things are a little…unsettling at the moment. In any case, let us all head to the hospital then. The more information we have, the better."

They were racing against the clock now. And he had no idea how much time they had left.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Now this chapter was interesting to write~ I've worked out that this saga should be about 14 chapters long. A little longer than initially planned, but that always happens. And really it's kinda just one long Lynus-worshipping fic XD Unashamedly so~ Anyway, hope you enjoy reading!

* * *

Chapter 6:

The quickest way to get into the hospital's library was through the main lobby, where patients would come in and register for assistance. And next to that was the waiting room where they would indeed wait to be called in for examination. The two sections were open so that it was easier to keep an eye on things should a medical emergency suddenly arise.

But as Lynus, along with Lirit, Cedric, and Chi-hung stepped inside through a side door, he stopped dead in his tracks and his heart skipped a beat. The waiting room and reception area were…filled with people. Patients. Cursed patients.

Lynus found himself taking a half step back in surprise and…intimidation as what had to be a hundred sets of eyes all turned in his direction. A split second after that, someone jumped up out of their seat and pointed at him.

"It's the Miracle Medic!"

Lynus' eyes widen and he desperately clutched at the strap of his bag as everyone started to crowd toward him, pushing others aside in their desperate attempt to get to him first. And all at once, they started shouting at him, trying to grab at him.

"You have to help us!"

"Cure us, please!"

"Why won't you help us?!"

"Do something!"

"For heaven's sake, she's in pain!"

"Save my baby boy!"

C-cursed…there were so many curses. He didn't…he couldn't…

"I…" Lynus stuttered in fear as he took a step back only to hit the closed door behind him. "W-wait, I'm sorry, it's…"

"Step back!" Cedric was the one to suddenly yell as he pushed his way in front of Lynus, to act as a barrier between him and the frantic patients. "Leave him room!"

Lirit also pushed himself forward in an attempt to hold back the crowd. "You need to stop! He can't help anyone like this!"

Chi-hung suddenly growled loudly, successfully gaining the masses attention and with his head hung low, he prowled forward to widen the gap between Lynus and the patients. He continued to grow warningly at them, which seemed to keep them at bay.

Yet, they were still…yelling at him. Begging. Pleading. Demanding.

Lynus…didn't know what to do. He couldn't help them all! Not like this!

A high pitched whistled suddenly caught Lynus' attention, along with Lirit's, Cedric's, and Chi-hung's as well, and the four of them turned to look deeper into the hospital, pass the hysterical mob. It was Darrell half leaning out from behind a door, a door that only hospital staff was to step through. And he was motion them over with his hand.

Reacting immediately, Lirit snared Lynus' wrist and pulled him through the slight parting in the crowd that Chi-hung had managed to create, to where Darrell was holding the large stone doors open a crack. With Cedric behind him, pushing him forward, Lynus simply let Lirit tug him along, allowing him to push him through the slight opening before promptly following himself. With the four of them safely through, Darrell hastily closed the door and leaned his forehead against it, as if he needed a moment to compose himself.

Lynus turned to look at the other medic in pure disbelief. "D-Darrell? W-what-?"

Darrell kept his forehead pressed against the door as his shoulders drooped from fatigue. "It's…gotten worse," he muttered.

"No…" Lynus whispered as a wave of nausea washed over him.

This…had to be in retaliation for the failure of that cranium curse that hexer tried to place on him. It just had to be.

…They were so quick, though.

He had to do something. But…

He had promised Axel that he wouldn't go on that healing spree like he did on the first day this epidemic started. He had promised that he wouldn't push himself like that again. But how could he stand by and do nothing? He knew how to help these people. He could help these people. What's a little pain to his chest compared to their pain and suffering?

"Lynus…" the sound of Cedric's voice and a gentle placing of his hand on his shoulder pulled Lynus out of his thoughts and he skittishly turned to look at the other man, mildly noting that he was looking at him in pure concern.

"I can't…" Lynus whispered before he shook his head franticly and gripped his bag painfully tight with his hands. "I can't just stand here! I have to do something!"

Lirit immediately stepped up beside Cedric and proceeded to look at Lynus with worry as well. "But removing the curses hurt you."

"It's only a slight sting now," Lynus insisted desperately. "I can handle it."

" **No**."

The sound of Dr Stiles' terse, stern voice caused Lynus jump and spin around to see the head doctor standing behind him with a scowl on his face. "But-!"

"I said _no_ ," Dr Stiles reiterated in a surprisingly harsh but tired manner, causing Lynus to immediately fall silent. "To heal these curses as you are now will only cause you to become fatigued far more quickly. Go to the library. Find a way to stop the curses from affecting you. That's what you need to do now. Nothing else. We can handle this until then."

Lynus stared at Dr Stiles with wide eyes for the longest moment before he swallowed thickly and nodded his head meekly. "…Ok," he murmured dutifully in response.

There was a sense of regret in Dr Stiles' eyes, but he remained firm and Lynus allowed for Lirit to gently take his hand again so that he could lead him to the library, pass all the haggard and exhausted hospital staff. Mutely, he allowed himself to be guided, his eyes glued to the floor as his mind reeled from the information he had just learnt and his heart thundered from the devastation of how dire things have become.

And he couldn't help but feel that it was his fault somehow.

"Are you all right?" Cedric asked him softly as they entered the library room and Lynus nodded his head out of habit more so than giving the other man an honest answer.

"Yeah, just surprised," he said meekly as he tugged his wrist from Lirit's grip and numbly walked over to the furthest bookcase where he began to scan the spines of the many books, idly gazing at the titles.

He was fairly certain that neither Cedric nor Lirit believed him, but they thankfully didn't press him. Instead the two troubadours turned their attentions to the bookcases as well, hoping to find anything, anything at all that was useful.

The room fell into a somewhat tense silence as they shuffled through the books one by one. Flip through the pages for anything that could be useful before putting it back on the shelf and picking up another one.

It was tedious, but the only thing they could do. They just needed to bide their time until Axel and the others return from the labyrinth (in one piece and unharmed hopefully) before they can begin to experiment with the blueprints and recipes of that old book Lynus had found. And…

And try to ignore the chaos of what was unfolding in the waiting room and front reception.

But Lynus couldn't do that. He could feel his fellow healers and medics becoming frustrated, fatigued and…frightened.

He couldn't help them. He wasn't finding any answers.

Well, of course he couldn't find any answers, couldn't discover any tangible snippets of useful information; he was just one person. One medic. A simple medic with about nine years' worth of experience. Insignificant compared to Dr Stiles and the many other veterans of the hospital.

What could he possibly do on his own?

Lynus ran a hand over his face in frustration. "I'm just…a normal medic," he mumbled to himself. "There's nothing special about me. What makes me think I can do anything on my own? The hospital is filled with talented healers. I'm…being so self-centred thinking I can do what they can't."

"Lynus." A hand on Lynus' shoulder caused him to look over his shoulder to find Cedric standing behind him once more, like he had done only moments ago.

"But you can," Cedric said as he squeezed his shoulder, prompting Lynus to turn around to face him. "You can do what they can't. Only you can read a patient's aura and find their true ailment without having to ask a single question. Only you can offer precise healing to get to the very core of a patient's illness. Only you can figure out the cause of a patient's illness and create medicines to help them."

So why couldn't he help them now?

"But you are not invincible," Cedric continued as he gently took Lynus by both his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "Even you have your limits. Now is not the time to doubt yourself. Focus. If anyone can find a way to remove these curses without medics and healers suffering from the repercussions, it's you. One thing at a time."

…Was he right?

"I'm sorry," Lynus said as he glanced down at the floor. "I just…"

Cedric suddenly pulled him into a hug and Lynus readily returned the embraced, burying his head into his shoulder and grasping at his back tightly.

"It's ok," Cedric said as he nuzzled his cheek against the side of Lynus' head as he comfortingly ran his fingers through his hair. "You're feeling overwhelmed. You want to help everyone. That shows how kind and compassionate you are. You really are a gem."

A gem…?

Wait…a gemstone? The amazonite stone that he carried with him everywhere. The one that Axel gave him. The same with his garnet ring. He had been healing patients with his right hand. What if…what if he tried with his left?

He had read up on the amazonite stone a lot since Axel had given it to him as a gift all that time ago. It had a connection to the heart chakra. It had a filtering effect. Amazonite assisted in maintaining optimum health. And garnet; it was once believed that garnet could drive off demons and dark spirits.

Could it…?

Could that also help him here?

Lynus drew in a sharp intake of air, which caused Cedric to pull back slightly to look at him in concern once more. However, before he could ask or say anything, Lynus interrupted him.

"I have an idea."

Cedric looked confused but Lynus simply took a step back from him and reached into the back pocket of his pants to pull out the beautiful green-blue amazonite stone. He always made sure to carry it with him everywhere he went. It was a gift, after all, from Axel. And it made him feel more secure in himself. A worry bead of sorts.

Could it help him now?

And his ring. That was also a gift from Axel. He was used to healing primary with his right hand. But with his left, this might…actually work.

Clutching the stone tightly in his hand, Lynus wordlessly turned to leave the library and headed toward the staff room that was close by. He ducked in and immediately headed over to the utility draw.

Lynus fished around in the draws for a moment before he pulled out a thin cord of leather. He tied it around the amazonite stone several times to turn it into a makeshift necklace. If his theory was correct, if this worked, he would ask Thompson to turn the stone into a true necklace later. But for now, the leather cord should be enough for him to tie it around his neck and for the stone to rest in the centre of his chest. Where his heart chakra was.

The amazonite stone would protect his heart chakra. His left hand will aid him in removing the curses in their entirety.

"What are you-?" Lirit began to question him, no doubt having followed him hot on his heels when he left in a hurry.

"Can you help with this?" Lynus unintentionally interrupted as he lifted the stone around his neck and attempted to tie the strings behind his neck.

Lirit seemed to hesitate for a moment before he reached up to take a hold of the two string ends and tied them together tightly in a knot. "Why this all of sudden?" he rightfully asked.

"I think I know how to stop these curses from affecting me," Lynus answered as he trailed his fingertips over the greenish-blue stone and turned to face the troubadour. "I need to see."

Both Cedric and Lirit shared a look with one another, hesitant on how to respond. But it wasn't that they didn't believe him. It was because they were worried about him. For him. They didn't want him to be hurt again.

With the gemstone settled comfortably against his chest, Lynus took a step forward and reached out to take each of their hands. "Trust me. I know this will work."

"…Fine," Cedric was the one to respond after a moment of silence. "But just this once. I will drag you back to the library if it doesn't work."

Lynus smiled at them as he squeezed their hands reassuringly. "I know, and I appreciate it very much."

With one last reassuring look at the two troubadours, Lynus released their hands and hurried from the staff room. As he walked, he reached up to grasp the amazonite stone tightly in his left hand. He knew that he was on the right track. He knew it was going to be ok. He could just feel it.

The Critical Care Unit was the first place Lynus thought of as he hurried through the busy, bustling halls of the hospital. And Darrell seemed to be the one in the middle of it all. He appeared to be the one currently in charge of the floor, of which patient needed to go where. He was the man that Lynus needed to see to gain access to a patient.

So he quickly approached the other medic. "Darrell, give me a patient."

Darrell barely even glanced up at him as he scribbled hastily down onto a clipboard. "No."

Lynus honestly expected as much. Either Dr Stiles had warned the other staff members to not allow for him to get involved, or they had taken it upon themselves anyway.

"No, it's ok," Lynus insisted as he tried to get the other medic's full attention, to make him look up at him to see that he was being honest. "I think I've found it. Found the way to stop the curses hurting me in return."

Darrell finally glanced up at him, not fully convinced, but not wholly sceptical either.

So Lynus continued, indicating to the gemstone that was hanging around his neck. "Axel gave me this crystal a long time ago and it has helped me ever since. I know this will work. Trust me."

Darrell remained silent and looked at him critically, yet he seemed to be mulling over his words nonetheless. "…Fine," he finally said. "But Dr Stiles will be pissed if this doesn't work."

Lynus gave him a grateful smile. "I know."

"We have an unresponsive patient in Bay 3," Darrell explained as he led the way to the ward and opened the door. But as Lynus moved to take a step inside, Darrell snared him by the elbow and pulled him to an abrupt stop. "You have one shot."

Lynus nodded his head in understanding and Darrell quickly released his arm. Knowing that words of reassurance wouldn't give the comfort he needed, Lynus instead turned his focus toward the patient lying still and silent upon the first bed of the ward. Male by appearance, and middle-aged. He was also attached to a breathing machine.

He placed his right hand against his chest, over the stone and heart chakra while he raised his other hand to hover above the patient's forehead. It took him only a matter of seconds to locate the dark spot within the patient's aura as it was in the same place, harming him the same way as the patients he had healed before.

Curling his fingers around the gemstone resting against his chest, Lynus drew in a slow breath and held it as he used a refresh spell.

The effects were immediate. He felt the light snap as the curse disappeared and the person's aura fell back into its natural state. And the patient's eyes soon fluttered open as they made sounds of confusion and distress. However, there was something distinctively different this time around.

There wasn't any pain against his chest. The sharp sting, like that of a whip crack, was absent. Completely.

"It worked," Lynus breathed with a sigh of relief and took a step back to allow the ward nurses to comfort the patient. "It didn't hurt."

"Are you serious?" Darrell asked him as he took him by the elbow once more and forced him to turn directly to him. "You're not just saying that?"

"Yes, I'm not just saying that," Lynus said with a smile of relief. "It didn't hurt. Believe me."

Darrell opened his mouth, no doubt to ask more questions, when a commotion just outside the ward drew both of their attentions. There were calmed shouts for assistance from a fellow medic for a patient appeared to be fitting.

And with that, Lynus knew he couldn't waste any more time. He trusted the skill of his fellow healers, but if there was something he could do to ease their burdens, he should do so. It was his duty as a medic to help another.

"I need to get to work right away," Lynus muttered as he tugged his arm free from Darrell's grip and headed for the door.

"But that was only one patient," Darrell argued back as he followed right behind him.

"Their curse was one of the worse I've encountered," Lynus returned as the two of them pushed their way through the unusually crowded halls. "If that didn't hurt me, it's safe to assume that the milder ones won't either."

"You're going to have to convince Dr Stiles of that before you can do anything," Darrell reminded him.

"I know!"

Without waiting to hear how Darrell would respond to that, Lynus broke out into a mild jog as he searched for the head doctor amongst the throngs of healers and patients. Convincing Dr Stiles to let him heal again was likely to be difficult, but he had to try. At least convince him to let him deal with the walking injured, as they were often referred to.

He was able to heal them, so he had to.

"Dr Stiles!" Lynus called out as the man he had been searching for all but stumbled out of a surgery room. "I've found it. I can stop them from hurting me."

Ripping of a surgical mask from his face, Dr Stiles immediately spun around to face him, that stern but also quite haggard expression on his face. "You better not just be saying that to pacify me," he said.

"I wouldn't be able to hide it from you or Darrell," Lynus returned as he stood right in front of him and gave him a somewhat pleading look. "And I won't risk losing your trust in me."

Dr Stiles just looked at him for a moment before he sighed. "…How?"

Lynus immediately showed him the stone around his neck and the ring on his finger. "This amazonite stone in combination with my garnet ring is somehow able to prevent the curse from lashing out at me in return. I've carried this stone around with me for so long that it's taken on characteristics of my aura. The same could probably be said for my ring," he explained before a thought suddenly occurred to him. "There is…also a possibility that I can teach you how to remove these curses without you suffering the same. But for now, let me deal with as many patients as I can."

Dr Stiles, however, looked sceptical. "Those two little stones are blocking the repercussions? How?"

"I don't have time to work that out right now," Lynus countered. "Let me deal with the walking cursed. The sooner they are healed, the quicker they can return to their homes. And out of the way. Since they are conscious and walking about, their curses would be small and weaker compared to those in the IC units."

Dr Stiles still wasn't all convinced or satisfied by Lynus' explanation, but he was exhausted and stretched to his limit. He had no choice but to trust him, to let him go out on his own and do things his way. "…Go."

Without a second thought, Lynus pushed forward and suddenly hugged the head doctor with his arms around his neck before abruptly pulling back to look straight into his eye. "Thank you. I'll be fine, I promise."

Then, he turned on his heel and headed toward the waiting room. Now, his next hurtle would be to calm the curse victims in the waiting room down enough to get them to cooperate with him.

A hand suddenly snaring him by his wrist pulled him to a stop, and a somewhat timid voice caused him to pull himself out of his thoughts. "Lynus?"

"Oh, Lirit," Lynus murmured in surprise when his gaze collided with that of Lirit's, whose gaze was filled with uncertainty. He also looked somewhat fearful. Not of him, but for him once more.

And Lynus…couldn't really comfort him. Not the way he wanted.

Instead, he reached out to place a hand on Lirit's shoulder as he continued to look into his eyes. "Tell Axel and the others I'm sorry," he said with a subtle tone of remorse. "But I can't turn my back on this. I don't know what will happen, but I need to do this. I need to remove these curses to help not only the patients, but the hospital as well. Please don't try to stop me."

Despite his initial unease, Lirit didn't look surprised. Just…sad. "…Ok."

Lynus instinctively hugged him in hopes of offering him a small sense of reassurance. "Thank you. I'll leave the research to you and Cedric. I have faith in the two of you." As he pulled back he noticed that Chi-hung was sat at Lirit's heels and was looking at him with a sense of expectancy. "Chi-hung, come; I'll need you for crowd control."

Lynus gave Lirit one last comforting smile before he turned again to make his way to the waiting room once more, this time with Chi-hung right beside him.

As he stepped out into the waiting room, Lynus briefly wondered how he was going to gain everyone's attention when he suddenly realised that the moment he stepped out, all eyes were on him once more. And he had to fight the urge to slink back, to hide from the attention.

Lynus had never liked being the centre of attention, being at anyone's attention had always been a bad thing for him, but there was literally no other way. He couldn't expect others to follow his words unless he spoke to them all directly. It was…going to be a new experience for him.

"I know that you are all afraid with uncertainty and concern for what is happening to you, to your loved ones," Lynus said gently, his words empathetic but firm. "But please, listen to me; I will do whatever I can to help you all and I need your cooperation. We need to work together for this. Please, children and elderly first. I will help you all so please wait patiently. I won't abandon any of you. Don't be afraid. Everything will be fine now. I promise."

The room fell into an unnatural and tense silence, and Lynus momentarily wondered if he had failed to comfort them.

But then, slowly, the patients seemed to gather themselves, arranging themselves into an orderly manner. Those with children and elderly were aided to their feet as those who had minor complaints stepped to the back.

They were…actually listening to him.

He could do this.

As the first patient approached him, a frail mother and her young child, Lynus kept pressed his left hand against his chest, over the amazonite stone and heart chakra. He had to do this. He couldn't back out now. Not when others needed him so much. Not when his fellow healers needed him.

He had to do this.

"He won't wake up," the mother tells him tearfully and Lynus immediately understood how frantic she must have been.

Gently, Lynus placed his hand upon the child's forehead and with him being so small, so young, he was able to locate the reason for his inability to awaken. It was a curse. A small one. An experimental one. But a curse nonetheless.

Lynus gave the mother a comforting smile as he uttered a refresh spell. The curse was gone. Completely. And again, no repercussion.

The woman burst into tears a mere second after her son did, crying for attention and food. She blubbered out a few sounds and words of appreciation and cradled her child close. But Lynus wasn't able to offer her the comfort she needed either. There were others who were waiting. Others who were suffering like her son had.

So he gently guided the woman to the side and turned his attention to his next patient, another elderly woman.

As he placed his hand upon her forehead to remove her curse, he felt disheartened to realise just how many patients were in need of his attention. And more appeared to be stumbling in.

He needed to remove as many as the curses as possible.

He should…be able to cure a few patients at the same time. A party wide refresh, as if he was in battle within the labyrinth. He could do the same here in the hospital. Two or more patients at once.

Just…let him try for a moment.

Lynus folded his hands against his chest, against the amazonite stone and lowered his chin as he closed his eyes. Slowly he searched out to the patients within the waiting room. A couple at a time. The ones with auras he had experience with at least once before. The ones who's dark spots were potent and small, but significant.

And he uttered a refresh spell.

Immediately, he felt the curses lift from the auras of those he focused on.

There were a few murmurs of surprise from those he had just healed, but he had to push them aside for the moment. There were more left to be healed. More left to be done.

He wasn't going to let those hexers, those curse makers, get the better of him. He wasn't going to let them win. He was going to remove every single one of their hexes. Remove them quicker than they could replace them.

But for now, he would deal with those who needed him most.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** I said that this was a short chapter, but it's still over three thousand words XD Probably a bit of a filler, but we're at the half-way mark! In any case, hope you enjoy reading~

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Chapter 7:

Axel tossed out the bag of stones first before he set about pulling himself out of the mining spot. This particular spot of the 16th floor wasn't as deep as the many others in the lower stratums, and that made perfect sense since this floor wasn't as well traversed as the others.

"How did you fare?" Hamza asked him as he offered his arm for Axel to take a hold of.

"I managed to pull out ten stones," Axel replied as he took Hamza's offer arm and hefted himself completely from the mining spot. "Odd finding pink and green stones mixed together."

Hamza simply chuckled as he returned his gaze to their surroundings, eyeing them cautiously before he turned his attention back to Axel. "Ready to meet up with the others, then? We have all that we can gather for now."

Axel nodded his head as he bent down and picked up the heavy sack of gemstones. He had honestly been ready to return to town the second he stepped foot inside the labyrinth. But he knew that would be pointless. He was needed inside the labyrinth while Lynus was needed outside. The very best thing he could do was to do his part to the best of his ability and return with the materials needed to make things easier for Lynus.

He also knew he couldn't rush the others. He wasn't that selfish to put his needs to check up on Lynus above the safety of his guildmates. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to them because of his lack of concentration and poor judgement.

But he had to admit that he was getting a little worried.

About an hour into their trek, his noticed a slight ache in his chest. It wasn't exactly a pain and he was able to forget about it when he was battling against monsters or scavenging for materials, but it was just…there. An ache. That was the only word he could think of to describe it.

Axel idly rubbed at his chest again as he followed Hamza toward the geopole that would take them back to town. The slight ache in the very centre of his chest was more noticeable now. It was annoying. Yet he felt that it was also…a sign of something. It made him feel uneasy.

…He was probably just feeling paranoid and overly cautious. He was just thankful that the geopole was close by.

Stepping into the familiar swirling pink light, Axel was momentarily blinded by a flash of light. As he blinked his eyes a few times to rid himself of the after glare, he found himself standing on the outskirts of town, near the labyrinth's entrance. And thankfully the others had already gathered together, seemingly having completed their own tasks.

"Everyone here unharmed?" Hamza immediately asked as the pulled together in one group.

"We're fine," Jhon was the one to answer and motioned to those with him with a wave of his hand. "We only just returned ourselves, but it appears that we have everything we were sent to gather."

Axel knew that everyone would pull through, but he still breathed a sigh of relief. With these rouge hexers roaming about, he wasn't at all comfortable or fond of breaking into smaller groups. It had to be done, though, and it seemed that everyone got through without a single encounter with said hexers.

All they needed to do now was to pick up Lynus, Lirit, Cedric, and Chi-hung from the hospital and return to the inn where they could sort through their materials. And start experimenting with possible charms and tonics to ward off and maybe even prevent those destructive curses from taking effect.

But as they drew closer to the hospital, Axel felt his heart sink in his chest at the large crowd of people gathered at the hospital's steps and entrance. But…they weren't going in to the hospital. They were…

The people were…leaving the hospital. In droves.

No…

"Axel-" Hamza tried to get his attention, but Axel simply dropped his bag of materials and ran into the hospital.

Pushing past the patients to get into the reception area, Axel paused briefly to desperately call out his beloved's name. "Lynus!"

"He's here."

Axel spun around and felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He felt nauseated. Dr Stiles was carrying Lynus in his arms; one arm around his shoulders, the other under his knees. And Lynus had his head resting on his shoulder with his one of his arms lying over his stomach, the other hanging limply down at his side.

And he appeared to be unconscious.

Pushing back the bile of concern that had lodged in the back of his throat, Axel immediately ran over to him, his eyes set firmly on Lynus. He was pale, his lips slightly parted as he breathed softly. His eyes were closed, but not clamped shut, and his face seemed free of pain. And around his neck, tied hastily with thin black rope was the amazonite stone Axel had gifted to him a while ago now.

But what happened? He didn't actually push himself to heal when he knew it would hurt him in return, did he? He promised he wouldn't!

"Don't be angry," Dr Stiles said as he continued to carefully cradle Lynus in his arms, holding him so as if he was the most fragile thing in the world. "He found a way to stop the repercussions of the curses. He's just exhausted. He couldn't protect himself from that."

Hearing that did elevate Axel's concern somewhat, but he was still rightfully worried. After a silent moment of just looking at Lynus, Axel finally lifted his gaze to look at the head doctor. "He's-?"

"Sleeping," Dr Stiles said, his face rather severe, but soon softened when his gaze fell upon Lynus resting in his arms. There was a clear sense of regret in his eyes.

Axel allowed his own gaze to rest upon Lynus as well. A sense of guilt touched him and his gritted his teeth in annoyance as he tried to tell himself that there was nothing he could have done to prevent this. "He was really the only one who could?" he asked softly.

Dr Stiles released a deep sigh. "For the time being, yes."

Wordlessly, Dr Stiles carefully allowed Axel to take Lynus into his arms and cradle him against his chest. Though the armour that Axel wore for his jaunt into the labyrinth was preventing him from holding his beloved medic as closely as he wanted, as he needed. And, despite the slight jostling of being moved from one set of protective arms to another, Lynus barely stirred.

He truly was exhausted. The last time Axel had seen him this exhausted it was…during that event on the 15th floor…

Axel clenched his jaw tightly in an attempt to banish those memories and he curled his arm a little tighter around Lynus' shoulders.

"I am as happy about this as you are," Dr Stiles said, his tone grave. But he quickly released another deep sigh, obviously quite exhausted himself as he lifted a hand to idly brush a few of the orange strands from Lynus' forehead.

There was no need to ask how guilty and remorseful the head doctor felt.

"Unfortunately, it…needed to be done," Dr Stiles continued. "The hospital was overwhelmed with patients. We couldn't do anything more. The situation was out of control. Lynus, he…knew that. Despite my attempts to keep everything under control. I…don't know what we would have done if he didn't…"

"I'm not angry at you, or at Lynus," Axel stated. "I'm…furious at those hexers."

Dr Stiles nodded his head wearily and rubbed a hand over his face. "A vast majority of the patients have been dealt with and sent home," he explained, though he didn't sound all that relieved. "They will most likely return at a later date. If these hexers have anything to say about it. But for now, we need to take this opportunity to take stock and ready ourselves for the next incursion."

He was absolutely right. The hexers were sure to return, their curses no doubt stronger than before. Lynus had given them time, the chance to regroup and plan for the inevitable confrontation. They couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

"Did you manage to gather materials needed for tonics and accessories?" Dr Stiles asked him as he dropped his arm to his side.

Axel gave a sharp nod of his head. "Yes, we did."

"Good," Dr Stiles said in honest relief as he reached out to pat Axel on the shoulder in a somewhat comforting manner. "I'll leave them to the Guardians. I'll do my job here. When Lynus wakes up, ask him to return to the hospital. Only so I can get him to explain to me in full how he managed to prevent the curses from hurting him. After that, I'm kicking him out."

Axel gave the head doctor a half smile and nodded his head in understanding and acceptance. And in return, Dr Stiles gave Axel a half smile of his own before he removed his hand from his shoulder, turned on his heel and strode away, his back straight with determination. Axel watched him until he was no longer in sight before turning to look down at his beautiful medic lying peaceful in his arms. Though he was a shade paler, he didn't appear to be in any pain.

Well, not in any physical pain, at least.

"Axel?"

At the sound of Lirit's voice, Axel lifted his head up to see the troubadour standing a few feet in front of him. And behind him were everyone else of their guild. Whether they had heard what Dr Stiles had told him, or Cedric and Lirit had informed them, everyone looked exceedingly worried. They look as though they wanted to crowd around them, to crowd around Lynus, but either Hamza or Cedric, perhaps both were holding them back.

Axel turned his attention back to Lirit. "Yeah?"

Lirit shuffled uneasily on his feet as an expression of unjustified guilt appeared in his eyes. "Lynus…wanted me to tell you that he's sorry," he told him as he trailed his fingertips over the strap of Lynus' medical bag he carried upon his shoulder. "But he…couldn't stand by and watch as others suffered."

Honestly, hearing that didn't surprise him at all. "I know," Axel said simply. "It must have been hard for you, too."

Lirit swallowed thickly as his eyes turned glassy for a moment. However, he managed a shaky smile and nodded his head. "He asked me not to stop him," he admitted. "I wanted to, to be honest. He looked so tired. But…medics are stubborn, I suppose. Every single healer and medic at the hospital was exhausted. It needed to be done. Now…they have time to prepare themselves for the next curse onslaught."

Yeah, now wasn't the time to wander around like lost sheep. Lynus had done his job; it was time to do theirs.

"Yeah," Axel said as he turned his attention to the rest of his guildmates, knowing that they, too, need to feel as if they can do something to help. Anything. "We can't waste this time Lynus has given us. Let's all work hard from here on out."

Without any hesitation, everyone agreed.

From his place next to Hamza, Cedric revealed a couple of books he held in the crook of his arm. "We've managed to find some potentially useful information," he explained.

"We'll work on the accessories and tonics immediately," Hamza said as he addressed everyone in the guild. "Looks like we'll be pulling an all-nighter. Tobyn, head to the inn and sort through our gathered materials. Jhon, head to Sitoth Thompson and explain to him the situation. We're going to need his blacksmithing skills. Everyone else, I'll need you to visit other guilds and explain to them what is going on as well, but go in pairs. Most of them are probably at the bar now. After that, return to the inn immediately."

"Right."

Hamza didn't give Axel any orders. He didn't need to. Axel's attention was on looking after Lynus. It didn't need to be said.

Those who had been given orders gave their bags of materials to either Hamza or Tobyn, or Chi-hung who snared the drawstrings with his mouth, before they turned and hastily made their way out of the hospital. Lirit gave Lynus' bag to Cedric before he moved to follow as well.

Hoping that none of his guildmates encounter any of those wayward Hexers, Axel pulled Lynus closer and headed in the direction of the inn, moving as quickly as he could but also cautiously. The last thing he needed was an encounter with a hexer as well. It wasn't so much himself he was worried about. Lynus was in a very vulnerable position; those bastard hexers wouldn't hesitate to target him.

Choosing to stick to the more public, open areas and streets of Lagaard, Axel was relieved to see the inn looming in the distance. And he felt a sense of security as he stepped into the foyer with some of his guildmates right behind him.

"Which would be better for Lynus; his room or the tearoom?" Axel asked. Though his own bed would be more comfortable, Axel wasn't comfortable being a part from the others. They had already risked themselves enough as it was.

"The tearoom for now," Hamza answered. "Place him on the couch closest to the fire place; we'll take the far corner to conduct further research. It would beneficial for him to see everyone unharmed immediately upon awakening."

Very true.

As per usual, the tearoom was empty though with a healthy fire roaring. Axel quickly made his way over to the loveseat that sat closest to the fire place and carefully place Lynus down. He removed his coat and hair tie before lying him down with his head on a pillow before removing his boots. Once again, he didn't move, didn't utter a sound. Axel tried to tell himself that if there was anything drastically wrong with him, Dr Stiles would never have let him out of the hospital. He was just exhausted, while not exactly ideal, still better than other possibilities.

Shaking his head to rid himself of those nuisance 'what if' thoughts, Axel reached over to pick up the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and carefully draped it over Lynus' far too slender form. It honestly looked like he lost a few kilos in the past couple of hours.

Axel knelt down besides the couch and gently brushed aside the soft strands of Lynus' hair from his temple. He worked so hard. He could cure any ailment. Heal any injury. He truly was amazing. But…Axel was worried.

With a sigh, he pushed himself to his feet before turning to throw a log into the fire. He turned to see Chi-hung had made his way to Lynus' side and was resting his chin one of his paws that rested on the couch next to him. No doubt the dedicated white tiger was worried and frustrated with all that had been happening.

He wasn't the only one.

As his teammates and family members returned to the inn in perfect health and perfectly safe, Axel slowly allowed himself to relax – somewhat at least. He was still on guard and would be that way until it he knew for certain that the hexers had been stopped, but he could let himself rest for the moment.

Keeping his axe within reaching distance out of habit, Axel removed the bulk of his armour to make himself more comfortable as well. Also because it wouldn't be able to do a damn thing against those hexers, so he could do with the added mobility.

"Axel."

Turning his head, Axel regarded Cedric with a slight nod of his head. "Hm?"

"I want to talk to you about Lynus," Cedric said as his gaze flickered down to Lynus on the couch and his expression grew solemn. "I watched him at the hospital today."

Axel was unable to stop himself from wincing. "Was it really that bad?"

"I had never seen anything like it," Cedric said before he gave a deeply troubled sigh, a serious and remorseful expression on his usual bright and chipper face as he explained the situation they had literally walked into when they entered the hospital.

He explained how the patients in their desperation all turned to Lynus, all begging and pleading for him to help. Told him how devastated Lynus had been when Dr Stiles told him not to participate in any healing until he was certain he could protect himself from the curses' repercussions. About how, after a short breakdown, he had managed to use the very same amazonite stone Axel had given him many months ago to protect himself from the hexes.

And, with so much regret in his voice, Cedric explained to him how Lynus had healed all the patients in the waiting room on his own, pushing himself to the point of sheer exhaustion where he simply collapsed.

A part of Axel was angry at himself for not being there for Lynus. But another part was somewhat thankful that he didn't have to stand back and watch as his beloved worked himself into such an exhausted state that he collapsed on the spot.

Axel drew in a deep breath through his nose before release it slowly through his lips. "I see," he murmured.

Cedric looked at him sadly, but with empathy nonetheless. "He really is an extraordinary medic."

Axel nodded his head idly as he ran his hand through his hair. "That's what worries me," he admitted after a moment of silence. "How much healing can one person do without consequence? Everyone has a limit. Even him."

Cedric didn't answer him, but the look he gave him told him that he had wondered the very same thing. And, more likely than not, a lot of other people had the same question.

It…couldn't be healthy, could it?

"I'll leave the two of you alone," Cedric said as he gave a reassuring pat Axel on the shoulder. He didn't say anything as he quietly walked to the other side of the room where everyone had gathered and talking quietly amongst themselves.

And, once more, Axel was left to his thoughts.

Roughly running his hand through his hair again, Axel sat himself down on the edge of the couch and stayed as close to Lynus as possible. He should probably offer his assistance to the others as they sought through the materials and reference books, but he would probably just get in the way.

So he stayed where he was, gently combing his fingers through Lynus' soft hair and watching him as he slept, noting that his breathing was soft and easy. He kept reminding himself that he wasn't in any pain, wasn't suffering. Just tired. He just needed sleep. He'd be fine. When he awoke, which he would, Axel would comfort him before trying to convince him to get something to eat before lying down again.

Looking after Lynus was all he could do for now.

Hours seemed to drone on by as Axel kept a constant vigil on Lynus. The others moved in and out of the room, but never straying too far. They even decided that until these hexers have been found and stopped, that they should stay together in the one room, the tearoom to be exact. Cots and futons were brought in, along with their essentials.

Axel idly curled a strand of Lynus' hair around his finger as his mind drifted to what he or Lynus would need from their room when a soft murmured immediately pulled him from his thoughts. He immediately focused his full attention back to beloved and watched as Lynus slowly stirred. His movements were sluggish and slow, and his gaze was unfocused as he fluttered his eyes open, but that was to be expected.

"Easy," Axel said gently as Lynus rolled himself onto his side and managed to shakily push himself up onto his elbow.

"Axel…?" Lynus murmured softly, his violet eyes slowly regaining their focus.

Before Axel could reassure him, Lynus suddenly pushed himself up with his hands and flung his arms around his neck as he all but fell against his chest, and Axel was about to gently chide him for moving too quickly after fainting when he heard a soft whimper in his ear. "It was so bad. Everyone was cursed. Even children. They have to be stopped."

Axel immediately wound his arms tightly around Lynus and held him close. "They will be stopped one way or another," he promised.

So help him, those hexers were going to be stopped. He would – they would – make sure of it.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Longer chapter this week, yay~ And we continue the theme of Lynus being subtly amazing while others subtly worry about him :'D

* * *

 **Chapter 8:**

Hamza rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his palms forcefully, hoping that the motion would will him to stay awake for just a little bit longer. It was late at night, rather early in the morning. Pitch black outside with no moon to be seen.

The only light in the room was being emitted from the fireplace, of which was burning strong as it usually was this time of year. The roaring flames and the crackling of wood offered a sense of peace and security. And after what had transpired the last couple of days, it was greatly needed.

On the couch located closest to the fireplace lay Axel and Lynus. Axel was lying upon his back with Lynus lying atop of him, using his chest as a pillow while Axel kept both arms wrapped around him firmly. Axel's head was propped up slightly with a pillow so that his face was close to that of Lynus', his lips against his forehead. They were very intimate, sweet, and appeared as they would any other night.

But tonight, with the dark rings under Lynus' eyes and Axel holding him more firmly than usual, gave the indication that things were indeed not of the norm.

The fact that the entire Guardian guild had chosen to bunker down in the tearoom together was another sign.

Idly, Hamza gazed around at the other occupants in the room, taking a moment to mentally remind himself that they were all present and safe.

Shen was lying down on a futon with Magnus nestled at his side and head resting on his chest, but the ronin himself was not resting. He was alert and ready to jump into action without a moment's notice. The tight grip he had on his blade and the one he had around Magnus' shoulders was a testament to his readiness.

Jhon and Tobyn occupied another futon, the two blonds having only just agreed to find rest there a mere half an hour ago. Before then they had been helping with the research and putting together makeshift charms in hopes of warding off curses and hexer. Now, though, they rested together, Jhon on his back while Tobyn curled up against his side. Though Jhon was the protector, the way that Tobyn had positioned himself next to him, his bow and arrow at the ready on the floor next to them, it appeared as Tobyn was the one who was in protective mode.

More so than usual.

On the other couch in the room lay Macerio and Lirit, curled up together on one end, Macerio with his head upon Lirit's shoulder and Lirit resting his head upon Macerio's. A blanket was draped over them, but they held hands above the blanket, interlocked together tightly.

And, finally, choosing to stay inside for the night was Rahas. He laid on the floor in front of the fireplace, using Chi-hung as a pillow, the white tiger more than happy to let him do so. Though it appeared that Rahas was indeed sleeping, releasing small puffs of air as he snored, Chi-hung was restless. His ears and the tip of his tail kept twitching, jolting suddenly and he would tense. He wouldn't move though, so there was no cause for alarm. It was just signs that he was as tense as everyone else.

Hamza rubbed at his eyes again and turned to look over at Cedric who had chosen to stay the night as well. He sat at a small table and chair setting in the corner of the room and idly flipped through a book in front of him.

He was about to tell the troubadour to get some sleep as well or risk agitating his lungs when he heard the soft sound of footsteps outside the room. Out of habit and protectiveness, he turned to look and watched with a hand sneaking out to his sword as the door opened.

But the man with willowy white hair and maroon robes was familiar to him, and Hamza found himself relaxing, though only by a fraction.

"I had heard some gossip," Mahogany said softly as he closed the door behind him and silently made his way over to where Hamza and Cedric were sat. But as he moved across the room, his gaze was focused upon Lynus who lay peacefully asleep.

Hamza had noted from their previous encounters that Mahogany would look at Lynus with a peculiar gaze. Not a menacing one. Not a malicious one. But one of interest and curiosity. And yet there appeared to be a sense of knowing in his gaze, too.

He couldn't help but wonder what the hexer knew about Lynus.

"He found a way to prevent the repercussions?" Mahogany stated more so than asked when he finally reached where Hamza and Cedric sat.

"He did," Cedric was the one to answer as he set the book he was reading onto the table in front of him.

"Interesting," Mahogany murmured as his red eyes flickered over to Cedric. "Do you know how?"

Cedric shrugged his shoulder ever so slightly. "By the use of a crystal, but that's all I know."

Mahogany unexpectedly made a sound of understanding. "Ah, that would make sense," he said before he shifted his gaze back over to Lynus. "Still, to think that he removed so many at once. Quite talented. He lives up to his title, it seems."

Hamza had no doubt that Lynus' reputation would just soar after what he had done for those patients today. But he wasn't sure that was a good thing. The words that that malicious looking dark hunter uttered to him all that time ago returned to the front of his mind.

He truly didn't like the fact that Lynus name was known widely in Lagaard. But, hopefully, his dubbed title Miracle Medic would be more known than his actual name. Though Lynus was embarrassed by it, it was a better option. Because there were certain to be some…deviant people who would love to have a personal medic of such calibre.

"Hmm…" Mahogany humming in thought pulled Hamza from his own musings and he felt his stiffening slightly, defensive and protective.

"Is there something else?" Hamza asked.

Mahogany continued to look at Lynus, watching with interest as he moved slightly in his sleep, curling closer to Axel and nuzzling his head under his chin. "No. I'm just musing," he finally responded. "Perhaps the biggest threat to these rouge students is a medic who can remove all of their hexes. I hope they haven't realised this yet."

Hamza felt himself wince and he shared an equally concerned look with Cedric. "What do you think they'll do?" he asked as he turned his attention back to the hexer.

"Uncertain at this point," Mahogany replied as he turned his gaze away from Lynus and looked directly in Hamza's eyes. "But…your Miracle Medic is your best bet of getting through this unharmed."

Hamza simply nodded his head in understanding. While he accepted it as a fact, he certainly didn't like it. Lynus was pushed to his limit as was.

How much more could he take?

He hoped they won't ever find out…

… … … … …

Lynus felt dizzy and disorientated as he tried to peel open his heavy eyelids. His head throb from his pulse rushing through his ears. It took him a few long moments to find the strength to open his eyes. And it was made more difficult by the comforting feeling of someone with a strong and calming aura carding their fingers through his hair.

Finally finding the strength to open his eyes, Lynus soon realise that though his vision was blurry he recognised his surroundings. He was in the tearoom in front of the fireplace. He was lying comfortably upon Axel's chest, his head nuzzled under his chin and with his landsknecht's arms around him tight and secure.

Lifting his head, Lynus' gaze collided with that of Axel's worried blue eyes. "Axel."

Axel continued to run his fingers through his hair that was thankfully loose from his ponytail. "How are you feeling?"

It honestly took Lynus a moment to find the words. "…Just a little tired," he said before he managed to lift a hand and gently touch the side of Axel's face. "I'm sorry."

Axel sighed as he pressed his cheek against Lynus' hand. "I know. There was no other way."

"The amazonite stone you gave me," Lynus said as he felt the weight of the stone against his chest. "It protected me from the curses."

Axel didn't say anything in reply to that. He didn't even make an attempt but Lynus could feel his unfair and unreasonable guilt nonetheless. The amazonite gemstone was there for him, but Axel wanted to have been the one to help him.

Even though Axel tried to rationalise with himself that it was something that simply could not be helped, his guilt and helplessness of Lynus pushing himself was still there. And it was honestly painful.

He understood why he felt that way. He truly did. Which was why he was determined to find a way to stop these terrible hexers before anyone else got hurt. Before Axel irrationally blamed himself for something else.

Before something happens that he may not be able to heal.

The sensation of two familiar auras approaching alerted Lynus to Jhon and Tobyn even before he heard their footsteps. With a bit of effort, and with Axel's strong hands helping him, he managed to slip away from Axel's warmth and perch himself on the edge of the couch just as the door opened and the two blonds stepped inside.

Ever the protector, Jhon's gaze immediately glanced over to where Lynus and Axel were sat. Axel having also lifted himself from the couch and sat closely next to Lynus. For a fraction of a second a flicker of surprise appeared in Jhon's eyes, but he soon smiled with pure relief.

"Lynus, how are you feeling?" Jhon immediately asked as he made his way over to where they were, Tobyn right behind him after closing the door to the tearoom.

"A little tired to be honest," Lynus replied with a tired smile, of which grew into one of relief when he noticed that Jhon carried a gemstone in the form of a charm in his hand.

Good, it seemed that they were able to make some charms and tokens while he was resting. He knew they would be able to do so without him

"But I was able to sleep peacefully knowing that you all had everything under control," Lynus added as he managed to push himself to his feet.

Even though Axel immediately stood up with him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, Jhon still reached out to steady him.

"We managed to make a few charms that, from what that book says at least, should protect from curses," Tobyn explained as he motioned over to the desk in the corner of the room that was covered in books and scraps of paper, as well as remnants of crafting and jewellery work.

"We've decided to give them to Dr Stiles and a few medics at the hospital," Jhon added. "They're on the front line, after all."

Lynus reached out for the charm that Jhon held and it was quickly placed in the palm of his hand. He immediately felt the strength of the rose quartz crystal that shone within. The energy of the crystal was soft, inviting, loving, and caring. It should be able to ward off lower, hateful energies of the hexes and curses.

"With these charms I should be able to teach them how to remove the curses without them hurting them in return," Lynus mused aloud as he trailed his fingertips over the soft pink stone.

"We don't know if they'll work," Tobyn murmured.

"They will, don't worry," Lynus immediately comforted as he handed the stone back to Jhon to hold and to keep. "Do we have enough materials to make more?"

Tobyn glanced over at the table and nodded his head once. "A couple more," he replied as he turned his attention back to him.

Jhon nodded his head as he shifted on his feet, unable to hide his unease and restlessness of not being able to do anything physical to help their situation any more than he already had. "We've asked Thompson to help out. He and Abigail are working on a few experiments as we speak. Hamza, along with Shen and Cedric, has just left to visit them now."

Tobyn was also visibly agitated as he folded his arms crossly over his chest. "Other guilds are on the lookout for these hexers, too. It's only a matter of time before we find them."

"We need to be even more cautious," Axel added as he curled his arm tighter around Lynus' shoulders and tugged him closer. "I doubt these hexers will take kindly to being cornered."

Lynus was about to voice his own thoughts when he felt a familiar presence draw near. He fell silent and gazed at the door to the tearoom, watching as it opened and a man in maroon hexer robes stepped in. "Mahogany?"

Mahogany didn't appear remotely surprised to see Lynus awake and standing. Instead he simply nodded his head and turned to close the door behind. "I take it you've at least gotten part of your energy back?" he unexpectedly asked.

"Well, I'm conscious, so that's something," Lynus replied with a small smile as the mysterious hexer walked over to where they stood.

"Good," Mahogany replied in a simple manner. "It takes time to place a curse, and they can only place one curse at a time."

Another small piece of good news. With the charms aiding his ability to remove the curses without receiving repercussion, they were finally gaining some ground in this…plague.

"We may have a bit of time to gather our wits before there is another onslaught like the one you encountered yesterday," Mahogany added before his tone turned cautionary. "Still, you must be careful. These students are driven by ego. They will not take kindly to the removal of these curses."

"We have these charms now," Lynus said in return. "They'll be able to aid us also, won't they?"

Mahogany pressed his lips together in a thin line and his usual stoic face creased into a subtle expression of concern. "To some extent. But…"

"But?" Axel prodded.

"They protect from one kind of hex at a time," Mahogany said. "So you're not completely safe."

Tobyn bristled. "Are we wasting our time?"

"Not at all," Mahogany immediately answered, unbothered by the biting tone in Tobyn's voice and simply motion to the charm in Jhon's hand. "The best thing to do is to use these accessories to protect the ones who _can_ remove them."

Jhon lifted the charm to gaze down upon it. "We could also create the charms that will protect us from the curses that would affect us the most. For example head bind for Magnus and…fear for Macerio."

"That would be the best course of action," Mahogany replied with a nod of his head.

Again Tobyn bristled while both Lynus and Axel felt a wave of dread and concern rush through them at the thought of Macerio becoming confused. He was also unpredictable when he was under a spell that inspired fear and dread. Could they find a way to protect him from both?

What of the others? There had to be a way to create a charm that could at least lessen the devastating effects of the hex on someone.

Lynus sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand. "…I need to go back to the hospital," he murmured before he winced and glanced up at Axel. "Dr Stiles is mad at me, isn't he?"

Axel leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to the top of his head. "He said that he wanted you to return just so you can teach him your technique before kicking you out."

Another sigh passed Lynus' lips. "Yeah, I thought he would…" he shook his head and looked back to Jhon. "Have you presented the charms to the hospital yet?"

Jhon shook his head and quickly walked over to the table and picked up a large leather pouch sat amongst the books and scrolls. "We were actually debating on whether we should make more and hand them all at once or give the few we have here."

"I'll take them," Lynus immediately said as he reached out for the leather pouch and immediately felt the combined etheric energies of the crystals within. "These crystals should protect them from the repercussions."

"Before that; let's head upstairs and freshen up a bit," Axel suddenly suggested. "You still have dark rings under your eyes."

Lynus immediately lifted a hand to his face, resting it against his cheek. "Do I?"

Jhon smiled at them, but it was a tight smile that was both polite and filled with concern. "You two go ahead and freshen up. We'll continue to make more charms."

Axel curled his arm further around Lynus' shoulders and tugged him toward the door. "Won't be long," he said as he led Lynus out.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, however, a familiar orange-haired troubadour descended the stairs. And the very moment he touched the bottom step, Lirit looked over in their direction.

"Lynus," he said with wide eyes, his voice almost a squeak due to barely suppressed emotions as Lirit hurried over to him.

"Lirit," Lynus said in return as he took a step forward and Axel allowed him to do so, though he kept close, even as Lirit abruptly enveloped Lynus in a tight and concern-filled hug. "I feel that I should apologise."

Lirit shook his head as he buried his face against the crook of Lynus' neck and tightened his arms around him. "Don't do anything like that again," he mumbled.

Lynus sighed as he ran his fingers through Lirit's hair in an attempt to offer the worried troubadour some comfort. "I'll try. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that."

For a long while Lirit simply held onto him, his face pressed against the side of his neck. And Lynus allowed him to simply cling to him. Though Lirit wasn't crying, he was very shaken up. Scared and worried.

Finally though reluctantly all the same, Lirit loosened his arms and pulled away from Lynus. But he grabbed onto his shoulders and looked him worriedly in the eyes. "You're not heading back to the hospital, are you?"

Lynus wished he could offer Lirit more comfort and reassure him that everything would be all right, but for now all he could do was offer him a gentle smile and an honest answer.

"Only for a little while," Lynus replied, which earned him a distraught look from Lirit so he continued. "I need to show them how to find these curses and remove them. Axel is coming with me, so he'll make sure I don't overstay."

That seemed to offer Lirit some comfort and reluctantly once more he removed his hands from his shoulders. "Only show them how to remove the curses. Don't do anything else."

Lynus offered him another reassuring smile as Axel quickly slipped an arm around his shoulders once more. "I promise."

… … … … …

The fact that Lynus was walking into the hospital dressed not in his medical coat with his hair pulled back, instead wearing a woollen cardigan that felt a size too big with his hair down around his shoulders and framing his face felt…awkward to put it lightly. He didn't even have his medical bag with him, which only added to his discomfort.

"I'll stand back and observe," Axel said as they moved deeper into the back hallways and corridors. "But know that I am watching you like a hawk."

Lynus laughed softly into his hand before he turned around to face Axel to pull him to a stop and to place his hands upon his chest. He then pushed himself up onto his toes and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Wouldn't have it any other way," he said as he pulled back to look into Axel's eyes. "I promise I won't push myself like I had to yesterday."

Axel squeezed him around the waist lightly. "I'll make sure of it," he said firmly.

Lynus could only smile and let him indulge in his protective urges. They were appreciated, though. And in all honesty Axel had ample reason to be protective towards him.

"Lynus."

At the sound of his name, Lynus stepped away from Axel and turned to see Dr Stiles quickly making his way toward him. His hair and clothing were dishevelled and he had dark rings under his eyes. Clearly he had continued working during the night with an hour or two here or there. Dr Stiles wore an expression of concern, though Lynus himself couldn't help but allow a worried frown to tug at his own lips.

"I'm all right; just a little tired," Lynus answered before Dr Stiles could ask him and he met with him half way. He immediately gave the other man a hug, of which was promptly returned. "And from the looks of things, so are you."

Dr Stiles sighed as he rested his chin a top of Lynus' head for a moment before he pulled back to instead take Lynus by the shoulders. "Everyone is. But at least we had some time to catch our breaths. We can't let anything like what happened yesterday happen again."

No, they couldn't afford to let something like that happen again.

Dr Stiles' grip on his shoulders tightened a fraction and he leaned forward so that he was eyelevel with Lynus. "Tell me how to find and remove these hexes." It wasn't a demand, but it wasn't a question either.

Even so, Lynus wasn't at all surprised by it. "I should be able to show you. I take it there are more patients?"

"Yes, unfortunately. Not as many as yesterday, but enough to cause trouble," Dr Stiles answered as he straightened his posture in an attempt to ward off his exhaustion. His eyes, however, flickered to look behind Lynus and he gave a slight nod of his head. "I take it Axel will be accompanying us?"

"Absolutely," Axel answered as he moved to stand next to him and pressed a hand against the small of his back. "I will physically manhandle him out of this hospital if necessary."

A wry smiled appeared on Dr Stiles' lips. "Ah, good," he said before his eyes unexpectedly narrowed in a parental way as he focused his attention back to Lynus once more. "And from the looks of things, that should be easier now. You've definitely lost a couple of pounds since yesterday morning."

Lynus could barely suppress a wince. "O-oh, have I? A-anyway, we've managed to make a couple of amulets," he said in an attempt to change the subject and to also bring everyone's attention back to what it was they truly needed to focus on. "They should protect you from the repercussions. And more, if necessary."

He turned toward Axel and retrieved the leather bag that contained the charms from him. He reached inside and pulled out a charmed that held a Prehnite stone. Thanks to the leather string and anointed oils, its energy had been enhanced to allow for Dr Stiles to wield it immediately. There will need to be a cleansing of the stone at a later date, but it should be at full strength for at least a couple of days.

The light green stone caught the light and shimmered softly as Lynus handed the charm to Dr Stiles. "Wear it around your neck and under your shirt so it comes into contact with your skin."

Dr Stiles didn't hesitate to take the charm from him and he soon had done what Lynus instructed. As he began to fold down his collar to appear a little less dishevelled, he turned and led Lynus toward the IC ward once more. Of course Lynus immediately followed and Axel followed behind him, albeit somewhat awkwardly. But Lynus was glad that Axel was there and close at hand. If a patient should succumb to a fear or confusion spell, Axel would be the ideal person to put a swift end to any trouble.

The IC Unit thankfully only held a few patients. Not to full capacity like yesterday. And Dr Stiles wasted no time in leading Lynus toward the nearest patient. Standing on either side of the young man's bed, Lynus instinctively began to assess his current state.

Because of his previous experience of not only removing hexes but sensing and locating, Lynus was able to quickly diagnose the patient with a simple check of their aura. But he didn't say anything because he needed Dr Stiles to be able to make a diagnosis of his own. Dr Stiles himself wouldn't be satisfied until he could as well.

But here came the hard part. His skills were self-taught, after all. He wasn't fully confident he could relay the information needed in such a short amount of time.

"Here, hold your hand here," Lynus instructed for Dr Stiles to lay a hand against the patient's forehead. When he did so Lynus pressed his hand a top of his. "Now, focus on their presence, on their aura. Don't look directly at the patient, but rather the air around them. You'll see a very subtle array of light. For now ignore the different shades of colour. Look for the dark spots. One right there, above his navel. Can you sense it?"

Dr Stiles's brow was deeply furrowed and he seemed frustrated. But his expression smoothed out into an expression of relief. "I can."

It was honestly a relief to Lynus as well. "Use refresh. Don't hesitate. I'll protect you from the repercussions."

Again with his brow furrowing slightly in concentration, Dr Stiles uttered a refresh spell and the two of them were able to feel the sudden 'snap' of the curse relinquishing the person. Though there was indeed a feeling of the hex's removal, there was no accompanying sharp pain to the chest.

"…It worked," Dr Stiles murmured.

"Yes," Lynus said with a satisfied smile.

"I can take it from here," Dr Stiles suddenly stated as he lifted his head and searched around for someone or something. "Teach Darrell and Angie the technique. I don't have time to finesse it, but I can heal these patients."

"Of course," Lynus immediately replied and turned to leave.

But before he move too far Dr Stiles suddenly snared him by his elbow and pulled him to a stop. "After that I want you outside the hospital for the foreseeable future."

Lynus immediately frowned and opened his mouth to protest, but Dr Stiles cut him off as he looked at him sternly, but not harshly.

"As of right now, you're of more use outside of the hospital," Dr Stiles said. "Find the hexers responsible, do more research, protect your guildmates, and protect the citizens of Lagaard. Only you and your guild can do this. No one else."

Lynus found himself staring at the head doctor for a moment which allowed for the words he just spoke to sink in. He was right, wasn't he? The best possible cure for this hex outbreak is to find the ones responsible and stop the curses there. His experience at removing curses would be much needed for his own guild's sake.

"Yes, I understand," Lynus quietly replied. "Everyone is in safe hands here."

Though exhausted, Dr Stiles managed to give him a small smile that held a hint of relief. "Try to take care of yourself for once," he said as he released his grip on Lynus' arm.

Lynus managed a small smile of his own. "We'll see."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN** : I'm so excited that EONexus will be a thing in the next few months! But I gotta remember that I have more stories to write before I can start pondering about what I want to do with the EONexus series…but I can't help myself. I have big plans for that series, where all my boys will be in one place. It's going to be fun. Before all of that, though, I still have to finish this saga. Fortunately, I have the rest of this story planned. I just need to do the writing out bit. Enough ramblings, I hope you enjoy reading~

* * *

Chapter 9:

Lynus' head was honestly starting to ache as Axel led him from the hospital and out into the cool air outside. With Axel's arm securely around his shoulders, Lynus briefly closed his eyes and curled toward Axel's side and rested his head upon his chest.

To say that he was worried about their current circumstances was an understatement. As was the fact that he was still feeling the after effects of pushing himself beyond his limit yesterday. But it had to be done. He had to push himself to allow for his fellow medics to have a small respite themselves.

Now they had time to compose themselves and to ready themselves for a future hex onslaught. Now Dr Stiles, Darrell, and Angie all had the knowledge to remove the hexes themselves without suffering from the repercussions.

The battle was far from over, but at least now they had a way to push back.

"Are you all right?" Axel asked him softly as he curled his arm tighter around him to hold him closer.

"Yeah, I'm…just tired," Lynus admitted as he opened his eyes and tilted his head back so that he could look up upon Axel's face. "And worried."

Axel's own face was creased with worry and he uttered as sigh. "We all are," he said as he leaned forward to gently kiss Lynus on his forehead.

Lynus also uttered a sigh. "I just hope that these hexers don't learn of certain people's weak points and use them against them. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do," Axel murmured under his breath as his hold around him became more protective and firm.

"Everyone is vulnerable right now," Lynus immediately replied, both hearing and sensing the helplessness and guilt in Axel's voice and aura. "Don't feel bad."

Axel simply exhaled slowly and made no attempt to verbally respond. He didn't need to. Lynus could easily sense how he was feeling. Worried, uneasy, guilty, helpless. His physical strength was his greatest asset. It was one of the greatest assets to the entire guild. But for this situation, for these hexes, physical strength couldn't compete. And Axel, and so many others who replied on their physical strength and skills, felt completely and utterly out of their depth.

The removal of these hexes hung solely on medics and healers. Something that a lot of people weren't comfortable with.

And that was something that those hexers no doubt knew.

"Lynus!"

Lynus was pulled from his musings by a familiar voice. He and Axel stopped walking and turned to watch Shiki, along with Simmons and the others of his guild push their way through the crowds.

"Oh, Shiki?" Lynus murmured before a smile of relief slipped across his face and he lifted his head from Axel's chest to regard them all. "Ah, guild Cosmos. I'm glad to see you haven't been affected."

"How you feeling?" Simmons was the one to ask with a look of concern as he stood next to his father.

Lynus sent him a hopefully reassuring smile. "Oh, I'm fine."

Shiki, however, just frowned and shook his head. "You're working yourself into exhaustion again," he said with a tone of concern and disproval and folded his arms over his chest.

"He's beyond the realm of exhaustion," Axel quickly added.

Lynus could only sigh and tiredly rub his forehead. Axel was right. He was exhausted. He really couldn't deny that.

Shiki shifted on his feet in a fidgeting manner, his gaze travelling toward Simmons on his right before drifting to Gerald on his lift. Clearly he was as uneasy and edgy as everyone else in town. Worried about the effects a curse may have on both Simmons and Gerald.

Honestly, it was no surprise. Lynus was worried also. Simmons and Gerald were two of those that he was most concerned about. A curse of fear or confusion could have potentially dire after affects for those two.

He had better find an amulet or two to protect them as well.

"We heard what happened at the hospital yesterday," Shiki said as he looked back at Lynus. "They're calling it a Hex Epidemic."

"It certainly seems that way," Lynus replied with a wry smile. "Fortunately we've found a way to remove the curses without receiving harsh repercussions."

How long that was to last, though, was anyone's guess. If those hexers found a way to strengthen their hexes, they might be in some serious trouble. But that was a bridge they would have to cross later.

Lynus was about to explain further when Kerri suddenly drifted out from behind Gerald and stared blankly and blatantly at him. "Hm? Kerri? Is something wrong?" he immediately asked.

Kerri was silent at first as she continued to stare. She then tilted her head to the side. "I can see them clearly now," she said softly.

Everyone around him fell silent as they looked at the small hexer in curiosity. "See what?" Lynus asked.

"Your wings."

Lynus blinked. "My what?"

Kerri said nothing in response. She simply righted herself, nodded at him, before she turned and drifted away from everyone.

"Eh?" Gerald uttered and turned towards her. "Wait a second, we shouldn't separate."

Kerri paused briefly and turned her head around to look at him. "The hexes won't affect me."

Gerald didn't look all that convinced. "But…"

"Do not worry," Kerri said gently, almost reassuringly as she turned back around and continued to float away.

And everyone stood in silence until she was no longer within viewing or hearing distance.

Shiki snorted lightly to break the silence and shook his head. "Hexers sure are a strange breed, aren't they?"

They were, but…

What did she mean about seeing _his_ wings? What did that mean? Did that mean anything?

"Never mind Kerri's oddities for now," Shiki suddenly spoke up with a sense of authority in his voice. "Lynus, I think you should return to the inn and get some rest."

"Oh, yes, of course," Lynus immediately responded as he tried to rid himself of his uneasy and curiosity of Kerri's words. "You're right; getting some rest would be a good idea."

"We're heading there now," Axel said as he immediately tugged Lynus back against his side and shielded him protectively with an arm around his shoulders once more. He spared a glance at Shiki as he turned Lynus in the direction of the inn. "You be careful now, too."

Shiki nodded his head sharply in understanding and smiled. "We will. Don't worry about us."

Lynus was going to worry regardless, but he felt reassured that Shiki and his guild knew and understood the severity of the situation. So they were sure to keep a watchful eye out and not do anything unnecessarily reckless or dangerous. He didn't want to know how Shiki would react if either Gerald or Simmons were cursed.

With a small wave from Lynus and a nod from Axel, Axel once again led Lynus through the streets of Lagaard with the destination of the inn in mind. The streets were bustling as per usual, and yet there was a sense of wariness and apprehension.

It was honestly unnerving to Lynus to be surrounded by so many people with fear and dread rolling from their auras in waves. And he found himself attempting to curl away from it by huddling closer to Axel.

"We're almost home, don't worry," Axel whispered to him.

Lynus smiled meekly up at him as he clutched the front of his shirt with his hand.

"S-somebody, help, please!"

A yell of pure fear and desperation caused Lynus to jump and for Axel to consciously attempt to shield him with his arms. Instinctively they both turned in the direction they assume the shout came from. The crowded streets seemed to part and dissipate to reveal two young men, seemingly no older than Lynus and Axel were. One had messy dark green hair that draped over one eye and seemed to be classed that of a landsknecht. And clinging limply against his side, his arm draped over the back of his neck and unable to stand on his own feet was a blond haired ronin.

But what immediately drew Lynus' full attention and concern was the knife embedded in the ronin's side.

Lynus immediately forgot all about his exhausted as he pushed forward, attempting to slip from Axel's arms and to help the two explorers. Axel's arms were firm, but so was Lynus' need to help. Even from this distance, he could sense something dark in the ronin's aura.

"He's cursed, Axel."

Axel kept his arms around Lynus but moved forward also, moving and acting as a physical shield if necessary.

As they approached the two, the distressed landsknecht turned to look at them and his gaze immediately fell onto Lynus himself. His eyes widened a fraction before an expression that was a mixture of relief and desperation spread across his face.

"P-please, you have to help him! I don't know what's wrong!" the green-haired man rambled as he took a step toward them also.

"It'll be all right," Lynus immediately said to him in hopes of calming him down even just a little. "Please lay him on his back. I'll look at him right now."

The man nodded his head rapidly and dropped to his knees, carefully removing his companion's arm from around his neck and shoulders before he placed him gently onto the ground.

He knelt close to the ronin and began to ramble once more, "He's barely breathing. I don't know what happened. He just got stabbed. I mean he's gotten stabbed before but he's never been like this. He won't even respond. I don't know what to do."

Lynus immediately dropped to his own knees on the other side of the ronin where the knife was clearly visible. There was little blood to be seen, which meant that when he was stabbed, the knife went in cleanly and no one else attempted to remove it.

Axel crouched down next to Lynus but reached across to place a firm hand on the landsknecht's shoulder. "Easy now. What's your name? What happened? Who did this?"

The young man glanced at Axel for a split second before he abruptly turned his gaze back to his companion. "Oh, ah, I'm Konya. A hexer suddenly a-appeared in front of us and stabbed Xita," he replied quickly. "He just…appeared. Like we weren't even doing anything. I tried removing the knife. I know you shouldn't but, shit, I panicked, you know? But I couldn't even touch it! It hurt my hand or something. Like I felt a tingling sensation and couldn't feel my fingers and shit."

Lynus idly listened to the Konya's anxious ramblings while carefully inspecting the knife and wound. Couldn't remove the knife himself? Something preventing him from removing it?

With great apprehension, Lynus reached forward and lightly touched the handle of the knife with his fingertips. He felt that tingling sensation that Konya mentioned. It didn't hurt him, though. But there was a dark presence to the knife. Around it. On the outside. A shadow that was similar to that of a person's aura. But simply black.

He chewed on his bottom lip. That could only mean one thing. There was a curse on the knife. That was why Konya couldn't remove it without suffering himself.

Without thinking Lynus made a motion for his bag before he abruptly remembered that he didn't have it on him at the moment. He left it at the inn because he had planned on only visiting the hospital and returning to get some more rest.

Darn it! He should have known better!

"I don't have my bag," Lynus murmured. "I can deal with this right here. Remove the knife and heal the wound. But I'll need bandages."

Konya suddenly grasped at his own shirt. "Will this do?"

Lynus took a moment to look at his shirt, noticing that it was indeed quite large and should be easy for him to tear it into the strips needed. "I'll have to rip it though."

"I don't care," Konya retorted as he whipped the shirt up over his head, revealing another sleeveless shirt underneath and pushed it toward him. "Will it be enough?"

"Yes, it will do," Lynus said with a small smile as he retrieved the shirt. Clearly he was willing to do whatever was necessary to help his friend. "I'll need your help with this."

"Anything," Konya immediately replied.

He didn't ask him what was wrong with Xita. He just wanted to help. Just wanted his friend healed. Perhaps he thought asking too many questions would delay the healing. Whatever the reason, his cooperation was greatly appreciated.

Lynus began to shred the shirt into a few make-shift bandages as he issued out the necessary orders. "Right. Konya, take your friend's hand in yours. Axel, when I remove the knife, I need you to put pressure on the wound."

"B-but, the knife…?" Konya stuttered.

"It won't hurt me. It'll be fine," Lynus replied with a reassuring smile. He turned to give Axel remains of the tattered shirt and gave him a reassuring look as well. "Really, it'll be fine. I promise."

Axel kept his gaze for a long moment and Lynus could see the uncertainty and worry in his eyes. He was also feeling protective, wanting nothing more than to simply bundle Lynus into his arms and take him to the inn, away from any more troubling situations. But he didn't. It was taking all of his self-control not to, but he nodded his head in acceptance and retrieved the tattered shirt from him.

Lynus gave him another smile before he turned his attention to the silent and still ronin. He leaned forward on his knees, placed a hand on Xita's forehead and with his thumb gently peeled opened an eyelid. Immediately a green eye looked at him. He was conscious. And terrified.

"You're going to be fine, I promise. You're temporarily paralysed from a curse, but I can remove it. And I will. What I need you to do is to focus on holding your friend's hand. He's holding your hand tightly. So focus on curling your fingers around his hand. Think of nothing else. I'll take care of everything else. Don't worry."

There were no more words of comfort he could give. Now it was time for action.

Sharing a glance and a nod with Axel, Lynus turned his attention back towards the knife. Slowly he wrapped his arms around the handle, once again feeling that unearthly tingling sensation. But he ignored it, which was surprisingly easy to do.

Biting his lips together, Lynus drew in a deep breath before holding it. With a slight grimace on his face, he abruptly pulled out the knife as he uttered a refresh at the same time. The blade came out cleanly and Axel immediately placed the tattered shirt against the wound.

As Lynus rested back on his heels, knife gripped tightly in his hands, Xita shuddered abruptly, his legs kicking out as a gurgled gasp escaped his throat.

"Xita!" Konya yelled as he clutched his hand desperately with both of his own.

Xita groaned as he flopped back onto the pavement, curling slightly towards Konya. "Holy shit," he uttered. "I couldn't fucking move. What the shit?"

Tears of relief sprung to Konya's eyes and he immediately leaned forward to awkwardly hug Kita around his neck and shoulders. While Xita reached around to pat him on the back, Lynus focused his attention on the stab wound that was still marring Xita's side. He carefully took over Axel's role and peeled back the bloodied shirt.

The wound appeared clean. Straight. No jagged edges or torn skin. The blade was simple and straight. Other than the curse that had infected both the knife and Xita, there didn't appear to be anything else foreign that could cause infection. He still wanted Xita to go to the hospital to have it properly assessed, but there didn't appear to be any internal damage.

"What the hell happened?" Konya asked after he pulled himself away from hugging Xita.

"The knife was cursed," Lynus answered briefly as he began to bandage Xita's side as best he could. "The curse caused body-wide paralysis. It has been removed, thankfully, and the wound appears clean. But it will require a few stitches and it will require a trip to the hospital. But it will be a short visit, I'm sure."

The tension in Xita's shoulders abruptly dissipated and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much," he said in earnest as he looked at Lynus with teary eyes of gratitude. "How can we repay you?"

Lynus smiled and shook his head. He opened his mouth to respond as he usually would to such words when a chill raced down his spine. An ominous presence was nearby and it was similar to that of that hexer he encountered a couple of days ago outside the hospital.

He stiffened and turned to look over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, draped in tattered coils of black cloth and silver chains was a hexer. Male in appearance. Youthful features, but the eyes of gold were narrow and piercing. Violent even.

"You. Stop removing my hexes!"

Wait, _his_ hexes? He was the one responsible?!

While Axel immediately wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders, Lynus pressed his hand against the centre of Axel's chest, ready to remove any and all curses the hexer would throw at him the very instant they land.

However, the hexer's gaze was focused entirely on him as his lips moved at a rapid pace; uttering something Lynus could not understand. He finished what he was whispering with a violent shake of his head and Lynus subconsciously clung to the front of Axel's shirt.

…But he couldn't feel anything. No, that wasn't due to a hex. He couldn't sense anything untoward in his aura. Nothing.

Did…the curse not work on him?

The hexer looked as baffled as Lynus felt. But he was also far more enraged by the lack of response. "Loathsome filth. Why is it that my hexes do not affect you?" he hissed.

"...Maybe because I know what you're trying to do," Lynus retorted in return.

But inwardly he truly did not know what he wasn't effect. Perhaps it was due to his previous experience and encounters with other affected people?

Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. If he remained unaffected then he could concentrate of curing others instead of worrying about himself.

The hexer suddenly whipped around to face a guard that had been trying to flank him. He pointed at him, uttered another string of words that were incomprehensible. The guard stilled before he lurched forward, buckling at the waist and desperately clutching his head as a scream echoed from his helmet.

Lynus winced at the sound and tensed again when the hexer spun around to face him again. "Know this, medic; you will choke on your halo one of these days," he spat hatefully at him before he ducked behind the flailing, curse-ridden guard to make his escape.

W-what was that supposed to mean?

Muttering under his breath, Axel sprung forward and immediately snared the guard by his wrist. He twisted the guard's arm before he turned so that his back was to him. With his feet planted firmly on the ground, Axel managed to flip the guard over his head and threw him onto the ground harshly, knocking the wind out of him. As the guard gasped for breath, Axel readjusted his grip on his arm, holding it with one hand while he used his other to roll the guard onto his stomach where he promptly pinned him to the ground.

While still deep in a haze of confusion, the guard couldn't move. Only flail desperately with his other arm and kick his legs. Nothing more.

Lynus pushed himself to his feet also and scurried toward the guard. He crouched down to hastily remove his helmet, revealing a mess of brown hair before he pressed his fingertips to the man's temple and uttered a refresh spell. He didn't need to go searching for the cause of this behaviour; he already knew.

The reaction was immediately; the guard stopped struggling and slumped to the ground. He was still greatly confused, but that wasn't due to a curse.

"What happened?" the guard croaked as Axel removed his grip on his arm and instead helped him to his feet. "The hexer?"

"He cursed you to use you as a distraction so he could make his get away," Axel answered with a deep frown. "Don't know where the bastard went."

Lynus grasped at the amazonite stone against his chest tightly as a wave of uncertainty and fear settled in his chest. He had no idea what that hexer meant, about choking on his halo. It was a strange thing to say. And he felt that it meant something. But what?

Whatever it was, he felt a sense of foreboding from his words.

…Something terrible was going to happen soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** And we're at the chapter that is essentially the calm before the storm :3c Enjoy~

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Chapter 10:

When they returned to the inn, Lynus wanted to speak with Mahogany about what had occurred. He hadn't had a chance to properly speak with him since this whole ordeal started and he had questions about the hexes that he hoped Mahogany could answer for him.

After what had just occurred, Axel was so very reluctant to let Lynus out of his sight. Completely and utterly understandable. But Axel needed to speak with Hamza about what happened also. To warn him and the others that the hexers were resorting to cursing physical objects, which in turn have the potential to curse a myriad of people who had the simple misfortunate of coming into contact with said cursed object. The hexers themselves don't even need to be present for the curse to hurt more people.

Those hexers were either getting crafty or desperate. Both made them unpredictable and dangerous.

With Axel promising to wait just outside of Mahogany's room, Lynus hurried to the door and knocked lightly.

He had been alarmed to learn that Mahogany had fainted directly in front of Shen a few hours ago. Literally landing right at his feet. He was naturally worried for the hexer's health because fainting was rarely a good sign. But it reminded him of his previous conversation with Mahogany. And about his ability to see the memories of others. Particularly painful memories. Of life-changing memories.

Had he...witnessed some of Shen's memories? Was that why he fainted?

There wasn't very much that Lynus knew of Shen. The ronin was rather tight-lipped about himself in general. That was fine. Really. If he didn't want to talk about himself then no one had the right to push him. If there was anything to worry about Shen was sure to have said something.

Lynus trusted Shen. Had no reason not to.

The reason why Mahogany fainted at Shen's feet wasn't what was concerning him the most at present anyway. Obviously his thoughts and worries were centred on that of those troublesome hexers.

Especially after what just occurred. The hatred and spite he saw in that hexer's eyes as he glared and spat at him left him shaken. Mahogany had stated that they were driven by their egos. But that kind of hatred for someone else was alarming. Lynus hadn't done anything to these hexers. Removing their hexes which they unfairly and spitefully placed upon others was all he had done. They were the ones in the wrong. They were the ones hurting people for no reason other than for their own enjoyment.

And yet they seemed to hate him?

He had been around egocentric people before. For eight years to be exact, but this felt…different. Not only did they hate the fact that he was effectively removing their curses they seemed furious by the notion that he had the audacity to do so.

It was honestly baffling.

Lynus shook his head lightly to change his thoughts. He didn't have time to dwell on the motives and egocentric beliefs of these hexers. He needed to concentrate on their curses for now.

"Mahogany?" Lynus called out as he tapped lightly on the door with his knuckles.

There was the subtle sound of chains rattling before he heard the muffled voice of someone permitting him to enter. So Lynus turned the handle and popped open the door enough to peek his head in. When he saw that Mahogany was sat up in bed, leaning his back against the headboard, he slipped inside and closed the door softly behind him.

"Hamza tells me you fainted," Lynus said as he paddled across the room to stand next to the bed. "What happened?"

"Hmm, It's nothing to worry about," Mahogany replied both airily and nonchalantly as he sat upright in his bed, his hair slightly dishevelled but otherwise he appeared clear-headed and functional. "You know of my ability, don't you? How I am able to see the memories of others?"

Lynus nodded his head slowly and pressed his lips together tightly.

"That ronin of your guild is quite…" Mahogany murmured as his eyes took on a faraway sheen to them. "Interesting."

He…probably saw a memory of how Shen acquired that scar of his. The obvious one on his chest. That…was no doubt the result of a life threatening injury.

"Yes, he is," Lynus replied with a small smile as he lowered himself onto the chair that was pulled toward the bed. "Every one of the guild is."

"Ah, true," Mahogany agreed before he flickered his gaze directly upon Lynus. "Especially you."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Lynus immediately replied with a shy smile and a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Hmm…" Mahogany continued to look at him with a purely curious expression on his face for a long, silent movement before he finally tilted his head to the side. "Well now, what brings you to me today? I know it's not just out of concern for my welfare."

The smile slipped from Lynus' lips and he sighed. "Well, yes, that is true. I had another…encounter with a hexer."

Mahogany immediately righted himself, reacting to the seriousness of the situation. And more likely than not also quite curious that Lynus got away once more without being hexed himself. "Go on."

Seeing no point in holding any information back, Lynus told Mahogany everything that had happened, from the physical events taking place to the inner knowing's and realisations he had made himself. He mentioned the knife in great detail because he knew that was where the hex had originated from.

After he had finished explaining, Lynus silently to allow Mahogany to digest the information. And soon a purely curious expression appeared on his face.

"You removed a hex from an object?" he questioned. "How?"

Lynus nervously played with the ends of his sleeves. "I, ah, used a form of refresh on it."

Mahogany's brow furrowed slightly. "Please elaborate."

"It had a…darkness to it," Lynus replied as he pulled his hands back into his sleeves in a nervous and fidgeting fashion. "Like a dark spot in a person's aura. I figured that if I could remove a dark spot on a person by using refresh, I could do the same with an object."

"Really now?" Mahogany murmured as he continued to study Lynus with unblinking eyes. "Fascinating. You're a very fast learner, aren't you?"

Lynus shrugged and gave him a small smile. "Well, I guess one has to be in the medical field, right?"

Unexpectedly, Mahogany shook his head and stared directly into his eyes. "There's more than medical knowledge and skills being used here."

Lynus felt himself frown and had to fight the urge to sink back into his chair, unnerved by Mahogany's piercing stare. "What do you mean?"

"Tell me; what do you think is the reason why that curse failed today?"

"B-because of this?" he answered as he motioned to the amazonite stone that rested comfortable against his chest.

However, Mahogany shook his head again while somehow still able to retained eye contact. "It's not the crystal that is preventing repercussions anymore. It's you."

Lynus wrapped his fingers around the gemstone gently. "Does that mean I managed to strengthen my aura?"

"It means that you are now immune to the effects of hexes," Mahogany answered bluntly.

The grip on the gemstone around his neck abruptly tightened and Lynus gaped at the light-haired hexer. That…couldn't be right. Sure, he had had a lot of experience dealing with hexes. But it was just yesterday that he had managed to discover a way to prevent the painful repercussions of removing the hexes. How in the world did he manage to gain immunity of them vertically overnight? That didn't make sense!

"H…How?" Lynus stuttered.

Mahogany appeared absolutely resolute in his answer. "Because of _who_ you are."

But that didn't make sense either!

"I don't-"

"You're tired," Mahogany suddenly said, purposefully interrupting Lynus as he rolled over onto his side and shifted under the blankets. "Get some rest. I, too, desire a bit more rest myself."

"O-oh, of course," Lynus mumbled as he quickly pushed himself to his feet and wrapped his arms around himself. "Excuse me."

He felt alarmingly shaky as he turned in the direction of the door and hurried out. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of what Mahogany had told him. What he meant. How he could have possibly gain immunity so quickly, if at all. But Mahogany was being…truthful. Not malicious. Not trying to unnerve him. Just…truthful.

But that truth left Lynus feeling a little…unnerved.

… … … … …

Axel folded his arms as he leaned against the wall next to the door that led into Mahogany's room. He had just finished speaking with Hamza about what had occurred and about what Lynus had told him about a knife, a physical object, being able to house a hex, and allowing for it to in turn curse unsuspecting victims.

Hamza was, of course, displeased to learn of this information. Though he tried to hide it well, Axel could see how worried and stressed he was in regards of the whole situation. He had the ability to dismiss some status ailments, but hexes and curses required more detailed examination and removal.

So he was feeling as helpless and as frustrated as the rest of them. Maybe even more so because he was their leader, the one who had to ensure everyone's safety. He felt responsible for anything untoward happening to them. And the fact that Lynus had worked himself beyond exhaustion yesterday left him rattled and wholly concerned. He wasn't the only one, mind. Everyone was greatly worried for Lynus.

And to be perfectly honest they had a lot to worry about with him.

Before Axel's mind could unhelpfully divulge all of his worries and concerns about Lynus, the door to Mahogany's room abruptly opened and Lynus stepped out. He appeared flustered and uneasy as he turned and closed the door behind him.

"You ok?" Axel immediately asked as he wrapped his arms around Lynus, frowning when he felt him jump slightly in surprise. Lynus turned to him and immediately settled against his chest, his hands gripping the front of his shirt as a faraway look appeared in his eyes. He didn't immediately rely so Axel felt his frown deepen as he tightened his arms around him.

"What happened?" he asked with a protective bristle. "You always look so rattle after speaking with Mahogany."

"No, I'm fine," Lynus said after a moment. "Mahogany hadn't said anything malicious, just…baffling, I suppose."

"What did he say?"

Lynus sighed and rubbed his forehead with his palm tiredly. "Nothing that really makes sense at the moment. I didn't even manage to ask him anything."

"You should get some rest," Axel stated more so than suggested as he raked his fingers comfortingly through Lynus' hair. "They moved some mattresses into the tearoom. So we can bunker down together."

Lynus leaned into Axel's touch and uttered a soft but absolutely exhausted sigh. "Ah. Sounds good."

Axel wanted nothing more than to wrap Lynus up in his arms and keep him there until this whole…bullshit was over with. Keep him somewhere safe so that he could rest and recover. Keep him all to himself.

But he wasn't able to do that. The hospital needed him. Explorers needed him. Locals needed him. The guild needed him. _Everyone_ needed him.

Withholding a sigh, Axel simply kept his arms around Lynus and guided him to the tearoom. Everyone had already gathered there. The window curtains had all been pulled closed, but that didn't stop Tobyn from pacing and peeking out every once in a while. Rahas also lingered near the windows and was symmetrically checking outside also. Macerio was in front of the fireplace with Chi-hung, curled up next to him and napping against him. Jhon sat on the chair close to the fireplace, elbow resting on the arm of the chair to allow for him to rest his chin in his hand. Lirit occupied the other chair as he idly flipped through a book on his lap, his lute close by. Shen sat in the far corner of the room, on the floor in a lotus position with eyes shut and arms folded over his chest in a mediative stance.

Finally Hamza and Cedric sat at the table and chair setting in another corner of the room, pouring over the books they had borrowed from the hospital. Magnus stood with them also, clutching Zanna against his chest as he fidgeted nervously on his feet.

However he looked over in their direction the moment Axel and Lynus stepped into the room. As Axel turned to secure the door behind them, Magnus repositioned Zanna in his arms and hurried over to them.

"L-Lynus?" he stammered with a purely worried look. "You ok?"

Lynus subconsciously straightened his posture and placed a small smile on his lips so not to worry the blond. "Hmm? Ah, I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm just tired."

That didn't come out as convincing as he probably hoped. He sounded more than tired.

Lynus suddenly furrowed his brow slightly and lifted his hands out toward Magnus' face. "You…?" he murmured before he gently placed his hands on either side of Magnus' face. "You have a headache, don't you?"

Magnus blinked before he flushed lightly. "J-just a little one," he replied softly.

And it was Lynus' turn not to look all that convinced. He whispered a refresh spell before he smiled again. "Why don't you rest with me?"

"Ok," Magnus immediately replied.

Axel just had to smile. He was glad for it also. He was too antsy and restless to be able to rest alongside Lynus like he had wanted. Magnus needed comfort also. "Good. I'll watch over the both of you."

"Th-thank you," Magnus murmured as he looked up at Axel with his bright blue eyes before he allowed Lynus to take him by the hand and lead him over to one of the mattresses they had dragged in a few hours ago.

Axel followed and rested against the window sill. He folded his arms over his chest and watched as Lynus dropped down onto the mattress and Magnus cutely scramble onto it next to him with Zanna. He placed Zanna by the pillows before he laid down himself. Lynus had already rested his head upon one of the pillows and seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep almost instantly.

He truly was beyond exhausted.

Magnus rolled onto his side and looked at Lynus with a slight frown on his lips. He nestled onto the mattresses next to him and closed his eyes in an attempt to rest himself.

And Axel remained where he was to simply watch over the two. Because, for now, that was all he could do. All anyone could do.

The tearoom was unusually and unfairly silent. Only the sound of a few mumbled words from Hamza or Cedric, the sound of the fire crackling and the restless pacing of Tobyn was heard. It was both an comfortable and uncomfortable silence.

Axel had no idea how much time passed as he kept his gaze mostly upon Lynus' sleeping form, watching as his chest rose and fell as he breathed. Every once in a while he would look up, survey their surroundings to check on the others, and upon seeing that they were his gaze would automatically fall back to Lynus.

As he gazed at him, noting the shadows under his eyes, how his clothes seemed too big, Axel had to grit his teeth in frustration. Lynus looked more…fragile than he usually did.

And it wasn't fair.

Someone moving to lean against the windowsill next to him caused Axel to lift his head. He turned to see that Jhon was looking at him with a smile on his lips, but a concerned tinge in his eyes.

"Hey," he said simply.

Axel nodded his head. "Hey."

"How you doing?" Jhon asked as he nudged him with his shoulder.

Axel felt a wry smile slip across his lips. "Ah, as well as everyone else; frustrated and irritated that I can't do more."

Jhon's smile became strained. "Yeah…" he uttered before his gaze shifted to look down at the mattress and its two sleeping occupants. "How's Lynus?"

"Sleeping, thankfully," Axel answered simply as he turned to look down at them as well.

Jhon was silent for a moment before he uttered a small sigh. "He's lost weight," he noted.

Axel's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yeah. Not that he can afford to."

"At least he's resting," Jhon reiterated in a comforting manner as he nudged Axel with his shoulder again. "And so is Magnus. He's been edgy as well. Unnerved by everything."

"No surprise," Axel commented as he tiredly ran a hand over his face, suddenly feeling fatigued himself. "I'm just glad we're bunkering down together like this."

Hunkering down and hiding didn't exactly sit well with Axel, but there was very little else they could do. Stay together, keep a watchful eye out for any suspicious hexers and create more amulets to lessen the chances of hexes taking hold.

But the very second they find a way to go after those hexers, they will.

Axel roughly raked his hands through his hair in a purely agitated manner. "God, I just want to punch these bastards in the face."

Jhon emitted a laugh that seemed to also release the tension he had been holding and patted him on the shoulder. "Believe me; we all would enjoy watching you do that."

… … … … …

For the second night in a row Hamza found himself the only one awake as every one of his guild slept as comfortably as they could. Sharing the couches and the mattresses together. Since his return, Lynus had slept soundly, though seemingly not peacefully. His brow would furrow every now and again, and would only smooth out if someone should gently touch him. From Axel running his fingers through his hair to Magnus snuggling up to him in his sleep.

His dreams seemed to be troubling him. Hamza couldn't help his worry. Lynus had stated that he found a way to prevent the hexes from lashing out at him in return as he removed them. But could they be affecting him in another way? Or were his dreams simply due to the enormous amount of stress he was under?

The soft creaking of the door pulled Hamza out of his thoughts and moved him to his feet in a protective stance. But he relaxed somewhat when he realised that Mahogany had once again graced them with his presence so late at night.

After ensuring that the door closed behind him and spending a moment to survey the room and everyone within, Mahogany turned his attention in Hamza's direction. His red eyes studied him for a moment before he crossed the floor silently to reach him.

"Ah, still creating amulets, I see," he said softly as he eyed the abundance of books on the table in front of them.

"It's really all we can do for the time being," Hamza replied just as quietly so he wouldn't disturb his sleeping guildmates.

"Very true," Mahogany returned as he lifted up an amulet and studied it. "These are sure to draw out those troublesome students. However…"

Hamza truly didn't like the way he appeared to be frowning. "However?"

Mahogany continued to gaze at the amulet without really looking at it before he shook his head and replaced the piece of jewellery back upon the table carefully. "It appears that the biggest threat to a hexer is someone who can remove their curses. And a hexer's biggest fear is someone who appears immune entirely."

"You're talking about Lynus?" Hamza questioned, though it truly did not sound like a question at all.

"Indeed," Mahogany murmured as his gaze once more drifted in the direction of where Lynus slept upon the mattress. "He is your greatest asset in this battle. But be careful. Even the Miracle Medic himself has a limit. I do not know what will happen should he exceed it."

Hamza found his own gaze travelling to where Lynus slept and he felt an uneasy feeling settle in the middle of his chest. "…That troubles me, too."

If…if anything should happen to Lynus, Hamza feared that his guild would not be able to stand it.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** A somewhat short chapter, and the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, sooo…enjoy~ :3c

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Chapter 11:

Despite the lingering tension of the now dubbed Hex Epidemic, Lynus was able to sleep rather well that night. He had a few disturbing dreams, some he couldn't remember upon waking, but other than that he felt that he had a relatively peaceful night. It was no doubt due to the fact that he was surrounded by his guildmates' auras and he felt comforted by that. He was glad that they had chosen to stick together, bedding down in the tearoom instead of separating into their private rooms.

He was sure it was a comfort to everyone else to be so close as well.

Although he had a peaceful night's rest, Lynus still felt tired. He sat on the couch in front of the fireplace and rubbed his face with his hands. A tension headache had set in and he was starting to feel a little light-headed. It was just a side-effect of working too much. Nothing a bit more rest and some food couldn't cure.

On the couch next to him, gently rubbing soothing circles on his back, sat Axel. He was thankful for Axel's attentiveness, but it was becoming difficult not to turn to him and just snuggle into his chest and arms until this whole ordeal was over.

He was…tired. Just tired.

"You need to eat something," Axel said as he continued to rub smoothing circles on Lynus' back. "You haven't eaten since around midday yesterday. I'll ask Matron to bring us some food."

Lynus didn't really feel like eating anything, but he knew Axel was right. He needed to eat something. Something more than a cup of tea. A piece of toast should settle on his stomach pretty well. Anything more than that, though, he might feel queasy.

However before Axel could stand up, there was the sound of the inn's entrance doors being flung open in a panicked and dramatic manner.

Immediately, everyone in the tearoom shot to their feet, protectively on guard as panicked footsteps and voices could be heard outside the room.

"Monsters are invading the city!" someone shrilled.

Immediately, Hamza pushed forward and opened the door to the tearoom. He stepped outside and was immediately confronted by a terrified guard.

"Monsters are fleeing the labyrinth and invading the city! You're the leader of the Guardians, right? You have to do something! The guards are being overwhelmed!"

The thought of monsters invading the city was bad enough, but Lynus got a deep feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. There was something else going on here. Monsters don't just rush into town for no reason. They were content to stay within the labyrinth. That was their territory. That was where their food sources were located. They had no reason to flood into the city.

Unless…

"Damn it…" Mahogany suddenly muttered from the corner of the room.

Hamza immediately turned to look at him. "Hexers?" he asked sharply.

A frighteningly grim expression spread across Mahogany's face and his eyes narrowed fearsomely as he nodded his head. "Hexers have the ability to instil fear in monster, thus making them easy to control and manipulate. This is exactly what they're doing now."

"Then this is the hexers' final stand," Hamza said through gritted teeth as he turned to face everyone. "Let's be ready for anything."

Could they really be ready, though?

Wait, his bag was up in his room! Lynus couldn't throw himself onto a battlefield without it. Not after what happened yesterday with that cursed knife and that hexer. He couldn't afford to be complacent.

"I-I'll need to get my bag!"

"Go!" Axel said as he hefted his axe upon his back and raced out of the inn with everyone else. "We'll meet you there!"

Lynus didn't want everyone to head out without him, but he knew what they couldn't afford to wait for him to retrieve his bag. Lives were in danger. Every second counted. The sooner Axel and the others engaged in battle with these monsters and defeat them, the better.

He could only hope that the hexers weren't hoping to use the invading monsters as cover for something far more heinous.

As he raced up the stairs and staggered into his room, all Lynus could do was hope that the others would be fine as they hurled themselves in danger and prayer that he could get to them before anything terrible happened.

He grabbed the strap of his bag and tugged it off the table. He didn't bother to pull his hair back into his usual ponytail and he didn't dare to waste another second stopping to put on his white medical coat. He simply lugged his bag haphazardly upon his shoulder, sent a silent prayer in thanks for having the foresight to put on his shoes, and raced out of his room. He leaned heavily against the stair banister as he took two steps at a time to reach the inn foyer. A moment after that, he was out the doors and heading in the direction where the nearly overwhelming sense of fear radiated from.

Crowds of locals and rookie explorers were running away from the sounds of chaos and Lynus struggled to push through them in order to get to Axel and his guild. He stumbled a few times, but managed to keep himself upright and continued to push himself forward. He tried to block out the emotions of fear around him as best he could, but they only added to his own anxiety and distress.

Finally pushing his way toward the stone road that led to the entrance of the labyrinth, Lynus stumbled to a stop and dropped his bag to his feet. With eyes wide, he felt his breath hitch in his throat. Hamza said to be ready for anything, but there was no way they could have prepared themselves for something like this!

Numerous FOEs from the first stratum, ragelopes, raptors, and the dreaded stalkers, were literally running about the area in an unpredictable, confused chaos. Attacking and slashing at anyone and anything that came close enough. Including each other.

The monsters themselves weren't an overly terrifying threat to Axel and the others. They've dealt with them before. But not on this scale and not with so many of them.

And they weren't the reason for why his guildmates were scattered about, in numerous degrees of distress or suffering.

They were…they all were cursed…

A small chime of a bell caused Lynus to tense and he turned to glance over his shoulder. There he saw six hooded hexers, paled face and wide-eyed, strategically positioned upon the rooftops of the nearby buildings. All wore expressions of malicious delight on their faces.

The only thing Lynus could think of was "ambush". These hexers lured the monsters into town as a distraction so they could fling their curses and hexes at anyone who stumbled into their path and sight.

"What do you think?" one asked him with a truly wicked grin. "Amazing, isn't it? How powerful we hexers truly are."

"It's cute how you all think a little charm can protect you from our hexes," a female hexer giggled as she swung her legs cheerfully from atop of a lamppost. "Adorable~"

Lynus didn't answer them. Didn't even make an attempt to form some kind of comeback. Instead he turned back around to look at his guild, instantly noting their varying degrees of distress.

Axel was the only one still on his feet, though they were bound to the ground and he could only manage the barest of steps. He was able to strike down any monster that came within distance of his axe, but there were so many of them that he was constantly ducking and blocking other attacks.

And behind Axel was Jhon. Face down on the ground, completely unmoving with his shield flung aside. He was in a deep, consuming sleep. A hex that could only be removed by a refresh spell or a hard, physical attack. Next to him, on his knees was Tobyn. His arms were bound cruelly and painfully at his sides and he struggled violently in an attempt to remove them and to somehow get to Jhon, to wake him up or at least drag him to safety. Monsters in their fearful states continued to circle them erratically, so Tobyn had one eye on the monsters and one eye on Jhon as he continued to struggle with his own bindings.

An absolutely horrified Lirit was sprawled out on top of Macerio, the gunner lying on his stomach on the ground with a look of pure fear on his face a few paces from where Jhon and Tobyn were. Macerio had his gun out and was desperately trying to point it toward his temple like he had done once so long ago. But Lirit had his hands around the gun, his fingers behind the trigger in an attempt to physically stop Macerio from pulling the trigger. Blood poured from his hand and onto the ground, but he wasn't letting go. He wasn't getting off of Macerio. He wasn't giving him any leverage. Wasn't going to chance it.

Shen was trying so hard to push himself into the battle against the monsters but his movements were slow and sluggish. He had been struck with a paralysing hex. Though it was a miracle that he was moving at all, Lynus could tell that he was suffering greatly. It hurt for him to move but it hurt him not to move, to not strike back at the FOEs, to stop them from hurting others. And it hurt him to not be able to help Magnus. The gentle alchemist sat haphazardly on the ground some steps behind Shen, his head bound in thick vines that he frantically pulled and clawed at. The vines interfered with his concentration. If he couldn't concentrate he couldn't use his alchemist abilities. He was terrified.

Rahas, too, struggled so desperately to force himself into battle. Other than Axel, he was the only one able to stand on his feet and able to strike back at the delirious monsters. But Lynus knew that he wasn't safe, he wasn't well. His body was turning against him. He was being poisoned by his own body. A hex had caused his body to attack itself. He was slowly succumbing to a poison by his own making. He couldn't…last much longer.

At the back of the battlefield, Hamza had fallen to a knee as he clutched his head with his hand. He covered the vast majority of his face, but an eye could be seen through the parted fingers, of which was digging painfully into his skin. And that visible eye was wide, unblinking and hazy, but filled with such terror. He had been hit with a fear hex. And it was affecting him so, so badly. No doubt instilling violent, heartbreaking memories. Cedric was there with him, his hands clutching the collar of his cloak and was shaking him in an attempt to pull him from his terror. He was also shouting his name. Over and over again, his voice, his throat getting hoarser by the second.

Poor Chi-hung was another who was bound to the spot, far away from the others of his guild. The white tiger growled frantically, attempting to lure the monsters in his direction instead to save the others from being attacked.

They were…they were all in so much pain and danger!

Lynus' gaze immediately turned back to Axel when he felt his sudden spike of intense dread. And he immediately knew why. Monsters had swarmed him now. A couple of stalkers. And..,

Axel was bound to the spot. He couldn't move. He couldn't dodge-!

Lynus covered his mouth with his hand to smother a scream as razor sharp claw ruthlessly cut into Axel's back. Blood seemed to spray in the air in shiny red droplets as Axel staggered forward, his grip on his axe loosen. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Axel fell forward, his hair covering his eyes and his mouth dropping open in a gasp of pain.

As he stumbled forward he, however, somehow managed to stay on his feet. His grip on his axe tightened. His eyes remained hidden behind his hair, but his teeth and jaw clenched as he managed to push past the pain and use his axe to fight back against the raging monster.

But blood continued to flow from the gaping wounds on his back. It splattered across the ground in deep, thick pools.

He was hurt. God, he was so hurt. The monster, it caught him off guard. There were too many of them. Axel was in the thick of it. All by himself.

Lynus so badly wanted to scream out his name, to get to him, but his voice wouldn't work, his legs wouldn't move. Was he hit by a hex? Or was it simply from the horror and shock of everything?

A mocking, unsettling laugh seemed to cut right through Lynus' very core and his eyes widened.

"Come on, pretty little medic," a hexer mocked him from where he stood behind him. "You have to choose. Heal, refresh, or unbind. Which is it? Who will you help first?"

Lynus whirled around to face and hastily stumbled back a few steps. "Stop it!" he screamed.

The grin that the hexer wore was that of pure malice. "Aww, are we pushing you to your limit?" he mockingly purred. "Miracle Medic, are you at your limit? Tell us, what will you do?"

What will he do? He…didn't know. He couldn't heal, unbind, and refresh them all at once. He needed to focus on one task at a time. One patient at a time. But there were…so many of them that needed immediate medical attention.

Lynus turned away from the hexer and stumbled away, though he had no idea where he was going. Tears flowed unimpeded from his eyes as he stared unblinking at the chaos before him. He could hear their voices as they shouted and screamed for each other, to others to get back, for him to get away.

But he couldn't…

He needed to heal Axel's wounds while also removing the bindings at his legs. He needed to refresh Macerio's mind to stop him from trying to shoot himself in fear. Magnus needed to be unbound as well as he clawed frantically at his head to remove the vines that restricted him. Shen was struggling through paralysis in an attempt to engage in battle also. Jhon was trapped in a deep magical sleep, face down and in the danger zone. Tobyn was struggling with his arms being bound. And Rahas…he was starting to cough up blood from being poisoned!

He could feel all their pains, their fears, their suffering. He could feel them all. They were so scared, so horrified, so…helpless.

Others were racing to help. Cosmos. Ryker. Darrell. More guards, but Lynus couldn't see any of them. All he could see, all he could feel was…pain.

He needed to do something! He had to help them! He had to stop this!

B-but who first? God, there was so many of them. And more were sure to suffer. Who could afford to wait for medical attention and who couldn't?

No, he couldn't do them one at a time. Those hexers would just replace the hex with a new one. It was a losing battle. He couldn't…do anything.

Axel…god, Axel…He was fighting so hard, he was going to be…

 _No!_ Lynus screamed in his mind as he held his head with his hands, his eyes wide and unblinking. _No. No I_ _won't allow this!_

It wasn't acceptable. He wouldn't allow this. There was a way to heal them all. There had to be. He just needed to…push himself further than he had been before. He had to. For their sake. He had to save them. All of them. No matter what it took.

He was a medic. That was what medics did. What they were born to do.

A strange sense of calm unexpectedly fell over him as he clutched his hands against his chest. He walked until he was in the very centre of the chaos, his eyes focused on the semi-circle hooded figures that were taking delight in all the curses as they take effect.

However, they won't be delighted for much longer.

"That's it," Lynus said as he uncharacteristically glared at what he believed was the leader of the small group. "Your fun ends now."

"Oh?" a hexer cooed at him once more. "What will you be able to do? Will you be able to heal them all? I highly doubt it."

Yes, he would. He could. He would heal them all. All at once. At the exact same time. No one was going to be left out. Left behind. They were all important to him. He would help them. He _would_.

"I'm going to heal everyone," Lynus said as his felt a warm but foreign tingling sensation rush through him and completely unbeknownst to him he started to emit a soft violet glow. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me!"


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:** Finally reached that Important Plot Point of the CtS series, so I hope you'll enjoy reading~!

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 **Chapter 12:**

Axel gritted his teeth in a desperate attempt to ignore the near crippling pain radiating from his back. He had to ignore it. He didn't have time to think about it. Monsters were everywhere. They were attacking. And his guildmates were…they were all suffering from a varying degree of hexes.

He was the only one standing. He was the only one who could fight these things.

Fighting was all he was good at.

He had to keep going. For everyone's sake. There was no question whether or not he would live through this; he would. No matter what. He wasn't going to let a bunch of arrogant hexers and their dirty little tricks take him away from Lynus and his guild.

A soft purple light suddenly surrounded him. It was startling, and yet comforting at the same time. It felt familiar. As did the etching of his skin on his back. This feeling…it reminded him of Lynus' gentle healing.

And yet it felt slightly…different.

Directing his axe toward the head of another derange ragelope, Axel managed to turn around enough to look behind him. As he did so, he froze.

Lynus had reached the battlefield. But what was happening…wasn't normal. He had never, ever seen Lynus heal anyone like this!

Lynus stood near the centre of the impromptu battlefield. His hands were interlocked together and resting comfortable near his stomach. His hair floated angelically from an unfelt breeze and a soft, violet formed around him. His eyes were half-lidded, yet they appeared hazy. Lips slightly parted, but not moving as if he was uttering a spell.

Then the strangest thing happened. Something that made Axel's heart all but stop beating.

A pair of what could only be described as angel wings suddenly unfurled from his back, spreading out to their full length behind him in a magical display before gently folding back to rest majestically by his sides. They were pure white, soft and feathery, the wing tips ending a mere inch from the ground.

The violet light around him brightened and so did the light surrounding Axel and everyone else upon the battlefield. When it did, Axel felt the pain on his back abruptly dissipate and the vine-like bindings at his feet disappear at the exact same time.

The startled gasps and murmurs from others around him caused Axel to briefly move his gaze away from Lynus to the rest of his guildmates. Jhon picked himself off the ground as Tobyn looked down at his arms in surprise. Lirit was slowly relinquishing his hold on Macerio who was trying to sit up in a startled manner. Hamza was up on his feet also with Cedric glued to his side. And Shen had taken straight to his feet, sword clutched in one hand while Magnus stay sat on the ground, eyes wide as he stared directly at Lynus.

In fact everyone was staring at him with wide eyes and mouths agape in pure surprise. Axel was certain that he was no different as he turned to stare at Lynus once more. And as he did, the severity of what just happened struck him.

All the curses and hexes, every single ailment, bind and injury were gone. All of them. Taken care of completely.

How…?

A different kind of curse suddenly tumbled from the lips of the hexer closest to Lynus. "Fuck. He really is the Guardian of Healing."

Wh-what did this mean? What did any of this mean? What the hell was going on?!

"Don't just stand there gaping!" Mahogany abruptly shouted, attempting to pull everyone out of their shock. "Kill those monsters and arrest those hexers! This may be your only chance!"

That seemed to be enough to pull everyone out of their stunned revered. And they immediately returned to the task at hand.

With a snarl on his lips, Axel whirled around and gripped his axe with both hands. He then systematically started aiming for the monsters' weak points and virtually killing them with a single strike each. The sooner he killed these monsters the sooner he could get to Lynus and pull him out of…whatever he was doing.

After taking the head off of a charging raptor, Axel turned back around to look at Lynus once more.

The wings on Lynus' back suddenly dissipated in a sparkle of scattered light and the violet aura surrounding him faded out. His arms feel limply at his sides and he staggered forward. He suddenly lurched forward with a forceful cough, his head falling forward and his hair curtaining around his face. He then crumbled painfully and listlessly to the ground. His hair sprawled out him as he rolled onto his side, wrapped his arms around his torso and coughed violently again.

"Lynus!" Axel yelled as he pushed forward, barely pausing to strike down a foe that got in his way.

Within the matter of seconds he was at Lynus' side, kneeling on the ground and frantically, while being cautious, pulled Lynus into his arms. As his head lolled back against his arm, Axel felt his panic rise. Not only was Lynus completely limp and pale, there was blood on his lips.

Splatters and specks of blood were on his lips and on the ground where his head lay when he fell.

Was that why he coughed? Was he coughing up blood?!

Out of seeming nowhere Darrell appeared and knelt down next to Lynus and immediately began examining him. Frantically. Checking his pulse, his breathing, literally anything he could.

"What the hell was that?" Axel desperately asked as he cradled Lynus against his chest.

Darrell looked at him, pale and wide-eyed. "I haven't the faintest idea," he admitted.

Shit. What was going on? What was happening to him?

"We need to take him to the hospital," Darrell stated with a confused look on his face. "I don't know what happened. Dr Stiles might. He's…stable, but I want him to be in the hospital in case anything should happen."

"Yeah, ok," Axel murmured as he scooped Lynus into his arms and cradled his far too fragile form against his chest.

As he stood up, he glanced around to see where the rest of his guildmates were. After Mahogany had issued out the command to attack the monsters and arrest the hexers, Axel had concentrated on defeating the FOEs, getting rid of them as quickly as possible and left the arrest of the hexers to the others.

All the monsters had been defeated, their carcasses littering the area like trash.

His guildmates were all standing and unharmed. Their previous status ailments completely gone. The same for Cosmos, and Ryker and Darrell. He wasn't sure when they had entered the fray, but assumed that they were no doubt prompted to get involved by the chaos of panicked monsters and by the screams of terrified locals and guards alike.

But…had they seen what happened with Lynus, also?

If it was just them, it was…alright. He wasn't comfortable with anyone else seeing him like that, though. And those hexers…

He didn't get to punch one of those hexers in the face like he so badly wanted. But that didn't matter right now. He had more important things to worry about.

"Axel!" Hamza called out to him where he stood with a hexer lying possibly unconscious at his feet. "Take Lynus to the hospital. Do not worry about things here. We will take care of everything else."

Yeah, there was nothing more Axel could do here to help. The frown on Hamza's face was quite telling. He was pissed off enough to ensure that those hexers got their punishment. They will pay for what they've done.

So, Axel would leave everything to him.

"I'll go, too," Darrell said as he holstered his own bag upon his shoulder. "I'm not needed here. Lynus…took care of everyone already."

"Yeah…" Axel murmured as he cradled Lynus closer and turned to head in the direction of the hospital.

He had honestly lost count the number of times he had trodden the path to the hospital. Escorted Lynus to and from as he worked his shifts. Walked him there in the dead of night after being called for a Code Blue. Having taking other guilds or guards there for healing and treatment.

There were only…a couple of times that he had to take Lynus there for treatment. Literally having to carry him in his arms. Even if the event itself was rare…he still didn't like it.

The hospital was bustling with frantic medics and healers dealing with those caught up in the monster invasion. But Axel didn't pay them much attention. He simply followed where Darrell directed him, staying quiet but keeping a firm hold on Lynus until he was directed to lay him upon a bed.

As Axel gently placed Lynus upon the hospital bed he glanced over to where Darrell stood with Dr Stiles, the redheaded medic seemingly telling him as detailed as possible what had just occurred. And Dr Stiles seemed gobsmacked by what he was hearing. Axel couldn't hear what was being said between the two, but he could tell by reading Dr Stiles' lips that he was asking "what?" with a bewildered look on his face a lot…

Axel refused to step away from the bed and from Lynus, even as Dr Stiles immediately began inspecting him. He continued to clutch Lynus' pale hand in his, letting go only once to help the head doctor remove his far too large woollen cardigan to make him more comfortable.

Thankfully, Dr Stiles made no attempt to push him away. There was no reason why he should even try. He knew just how stubborn Axel was in regards to Lynus.

After what felt like an hour or so, Dr Stiles finally stepped back from the bed with a frown on his face. Immediately, Axel felt his throat go dry.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked.

The answer Dr Stiles gave him was confusing, however. "Exhaustion."

Axel furrowed his brow slightly. "Is that all? But-"

"Yes, just exhaustion," Dr Stiles interrupted as he planted a hand on his hip and stared down at Lynus. "A severe case, yes. Signs of stress and fatigue with minor inflammation, but nothing else. Stress was the cause to him coughing up blood. And his energy levels are low, as to be expected. But I can find nothing else wrong with him. There is no trauma to his back. Other than a few bruises from collapsing so suddenly, there is nothing to cause great concern. Just the exhaustion."

Axel should feel relieved by the head doctor's diagnosis. But he still felt…uneasy. "He'll be all right?"

"There's little to no reason why he shouldn't be," Dr Stiles answered quickly again, finally taking his gaze away from Lynus to look over at Axel. "Severe exhaustion is no laughing matter, of course, but it is treatable. I want to keep him here, just as a precaution and I will personally see to him myself. He'll be placed in a private room. There will be an extra bed in there, but that's yours. I know you won't want to let him out of your sight for a minute."

He didn't want him out of his sight for even a second!

"Do you have any idea what happened?"

Dr Stiles was silent for a moment as he held his chin in thought. "Honestly? I do have a theory. But I need to do more research…" he suddenly removed his hand from his chin and reached out to grasp Axel by his shoulder. He looked directly into his eyes as he spoke, "He'll be ok, Axel. He'll live. He'll wake up in a day or two. He'll be fine, I can promise you that."

That was honestly reassuring. But he wouldn't be fully reassured until Lynus woke up and told him that himself. With a small, apologetic smile on his lips and a sense of empathy mixed with guilt in his eyes. Only then…

The door to the examination room suddenly opening gained Axel's immediate attention. Still on alert from all that happened, he instantly turned and felt himself go tense in preparation for a possible threat. Thankfully, it was Hamza who stepped inside. With him was Mahogany, the hexer lingering back a couple of steps.

"How is he?" Hamza asked as his gaze immediately shot over to where Lynus lay silently upon the bed.

"Still unconscious," Dr Stiles answered as he dropped his hand from Axel's shoulder to give Hamza his full attention. "There is nothing to be concerned about. He is suffering from a severe case of exhaustion. Nothing else. With rest, he will recover quickly. It will take a while, I won't gloss over that fact. But he will be fine. Do tell the others of your guild. They won't be fully reassured, but at least they won't panic."

The relief on Hamza's face was palpable and he released a sigh. "Ah, yes. I best get someone to inform them quickly."

"And those hexers?"

"We managed to arrest four of them, of which will need hospital attention themselves," Hamza replied gruffly, with a slight narrowing of his eyes.

And despite himself, Axel felt the corner of his mouth twitch into a half smirk.

"But they can wait," Hamza continued. "Two had unfortunately fled, but we highly doubt they will have the courage to return any time soon. The others are dealing with the four as we speak. They honestly wanted to rush to the hospital immediately, but their need for a minor bit of revenge kept them back. Also, I do suppose Derek would not be pleased to have them all barrel their way into the ward, yes?

"Pleased? No," Dr Stiles responded as he folded his arms tightly over his chest. However, he also sighed and shook his head. "Understanding? Yes. Still, I'm glad I don't have to play traffic officer with everyone."

Hamza gave Dr Stiles a tired but grateful smile before he turned and motion toward Mahogany with his hand. "Here, Mahogany has some information that may prove useful to you."

Dr Stiles looked somewhat curious as Mahogany stepped forward. "So you're Mahogany? Lynus mentioned you."

"Hmm," Mahogany answered airily in response as his gaze settled upon Lynus. "The Guardian of Miraculous Healing. He most certainly lives up to his reputation, does he not?"

Axel frowned. "Do you know what that was?" he asked, somewhat protectively.

Surprisingly, Mahogany nodded his head and turned his gaze away from Lynus to look at the three of them in turn. "What you all saw was his true spiritual self; powerful, radiant, intelligent. His wings are a physical representation of this shining through to the surface. And, not surprisingly, his aura is that of the Violet Ray. Truly, he is a powerful healer. Fortunate for everyone involved today."

Axel found his gaze drifting back over to Lynus. A physical representation? Those wings were a part of his aura. They…suited him. But they also scared the hell out of him. Axel, along with so many others, had always thought and teased that Lynus was an angel sent to earth to heal…

"Violet Ray…"

The sound of Dr Stiles murmuring to himself caused Axel to turn his attention back to Mahogany. He had a more important question he hoped the hexer would answer for him. "But he's going to be ok, right?"

"It's nothing to fear," Mahogany didn't hesitate to answer with a small smile. "He is going to be more than a little tired for the next couple of days, but his energy will return quickly. Of course, that also depends on how much of that miraculous healing energy of his is directed inwards. Do not worry yourselves."

"I wish to keep him here for a day or two at least," Dr Stiles added protectively.

Mahogany simply nodded his head. "If that will ease your minds, do so," he said before he turned to face Hamza. "Now, if you would excuse me; I would like to have a word with those we managed to arrest during this debacle."

Hamza nodded his head before his eyes abruptly narrowed. "Yes," he murmured. "So would I."

Axel wasn't sure if the temperature in the room actually dropped, or it was the effect of the cold, biting tone of Hamza's voice that made everyone shiver. Either way, Hamza was sure to have a lot to ask those hexers and he wasn't in the mood for any bullshit.

Good. Those hexers deserve everything they get.

"But first," Hamza said as he turned toward the door. "I will need to speak to the others. They are beside themselves with worry."

… … … … …

As a leader of such a close-knit guild, it was never easy to inform his guildmates of the health and wellbeing of another. Seeing their concerned faces as they rush over to him, crowding him as they ask questions and protective demand answers was both endearing and painful.

All Hamza could do was comfort them with words of reassurance. Tell them that Lynus was going to be fine. That he was in the protective care of Axel and Dr Stiles. That his display of wings was just a sign of a powerful healing spell. Tell them all, reassure them all that Lynus, that everyone, was going to be fine.

The battle of the Hex Plague was over.

Now? It was time to recover and to comfort one another.

And right now, they needed to give their unending support to Axel and to each other.

"You have quite the compassionate and supportive guild," Mahogany commented seemingly idly from where he walked next to Hamza as they headed off together to finally speak with those egotistical hexers.

"Yes, I am quite fortunate," Hamza replied honestly. "They…worry for each other greatly."

"Yes, that is truly obvious," Mahogany continued to sound relaxed and somewhat airy. Suddenly, however, his voice took on a both serious and wistful tone. "Truthfully, I had been worried about how Lynus would handle such stresses. It wouldn't be unheard of for a medic to push themselves so far beyond their limit that they lose their own lives. It has happened before."

Hamza glanced at him. "And Lynus now?"

"Now?" Mahogany repeated and hummed for a moment. "I'm not so worried about that. He has the spiritual and mental understanding to know what to do and how it must be done, all while ensuring that he also stays alive for the sake of others. There's nothing to fear."

He sounded so sure. "What of you? What do you wish to do now?"

Mahogany simply hummed in response, though making no other attempt to answer. "Hmm."

Hamza turned his attention forward. "Four of the six hexers may have been arrested but there are still two more out there. Do you think they will try to garner revenge?"

"They will not be pleased, no," Mahogany answered readily once more. "But do I foresee them gaining revenge any time soon? No, I do not."

Hamza's eyes narrowed. "But they may still return for revenge?"

"These hexers are driven by their egos," Mahogany reminded him. "They are likely to seek revenge. But how they will go about it is another matter. I suggest we continue on the path we are on; create charms and tonics in preparation of another epidemic. Just in case."

"And Lynus?" Hamza asked. "Will they come after him?"

"More likely than not," Mahogany replied somewhat dismissively.

Hamza immediately frowned. "So-"

"Not to worry," Mahogany cut him off. "Hexes will not affect him."

That surprised Hamza, but perhaps not as much as it should have. "He's gained immunity?" he arranged that as a question, but he had reached that conclusion himself.

And Mahogany affirmed that belief. "I believe so."

"I see…"

"I wish to loiter around, as it were, just to keep an eye on your guild," Mahogany unexpectedly stated, causing Hamza to turn his attention towards him once more. "They are rather…interesting. In particular your medic friend. His wings are most intriguing. Perhaps I can even help him to manifest them into the physical realm at will. They would be useful, yes? They suit him well."

Now, that was truly a surprise for Hamza. "That can happen?"

Mahogany nodded his head and reached up with a hand to touch the chains that cross over his chest. "Oh yes. These chains that we hexers wear and carry are an example. When a hexer is created, these chains manifest from the etheric realm as a symbol of our new role in this world. Of our burdens that we must carry. And of how we had fought to remain in the physical world."

Once more Hamza was surprised by the admission. He had heard theories that the chains that hexers wore were what kept them grounded in the physical plane. But there were also theories that should anything happen to those chains, the hexer would…fail to exist. It was a curious theory. One that was undoubtedly unsettling.

Those wings that Lynus exhibited weren't of the same…were they?

"In any case," Mahogany continued as he dropped his hand from his chest and finally turned his gaze to look directly upon Hamza. "I do hope that my hexer abilities will be useful to you some time in the future."

"Ah," Hamza murmured in agreement. It seemed that Mahogany had already made up his mind. "You were a great help to us during this time. We will be happy to have you around."

Mahogany's smile was that of both relief and gratitude.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:** And we've reached the second last chapter to this saga. Turned out a little longer than expected, but hey, what can you do?

* * *

 **Chapter 13:**

It was no surprise that Lynus was given the best private room in the hospital. One that was in a quiet wing, where there was little foot traffic so the occupant inside could have the peace necessary to sleep and recuperate. But it was also in an area close to the nurse's station in case of any unforeseen drama or complications.

It was also thankfully big enough for a pull out cot to be set up, allowing for Axel to rest upon so he didn't need to leave. Not that he would have. Even without the cot, he would have just slept in a chair. Even if sleep felt unlikely at this point in time.

After ensuring that Lynus was lying comfortably upon the bed, Axel grabbed a chair and immediately pulled in close to him. And for the first time in what felt like hours, he sat down.

"I want you to try to get some rest," Dr Stiles sat as he stood on the other side of the bed, his hand lying flat against Lynus' forehead even though his gaze was strictly upon Axel. "The wound on your back has completely healed, but it takes time for you to regain the blood you've lost."

Axel abruptly realised that he was still dressed in his bloodied and torn clothes and winced. He made no attempt to stand up, however, and just nodded his head idly. "I'm not going anywhere until he wakes us, so this is as restful as I'm going to be."

Dr Stiles didn't look even remotely surprised by his response. "Ah, fair enough," he said as he pulled his hand back from Lynus' forehead and motioned toward a door in the corner of the room. "There's an attached bathroom so you won't have to wander too far." He smiled suddenly and took a few steps away from the bed. "At least you won't be alone."

Axel was a little perplexed by his last sentence. But then he heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside and he immediately understood. And felt a small smile slip across his lips.

In a flurry of movement and the chatter of concerned voices, the room was suddenly filled with the rest of the Guardian Guild. Half of them immediately huddled around the bed while the other half asked Dr Stiles questions. Questions about Lynus and his health. Axel was sure that Hamza would have reassured them before he did anything else, but they wanted and needed extra reassurance.

They were making a lot of noise. But it was ok. This kind of noise…was good. It was comforting. And even though Lynus was unconscious, he was certain that their presence was reassuring to him in his dreams.

Axel was pulled from his observations and thoughts when Magnus moved to stand next to him. And he was clutching something against his chest.

"H-here," Magnus said as he indicated to what appeared to be a bundle of clothing in his arms. "We brought you a change of clothes."

"Ah, thanks," Axel said as he retrieved the clothes from him and gave the blond alchemist a small smile.

He should probably make the attempt to get changed. Tidy himself up a bit and be somewhat presentable. He didn't want to alarm Lynus when he awoke later. He was sure that seeing him dressed in a pair of blood-free and not brutally torn clothing would reassure his guildmates, too.

Still, it was difficult for him to take to his feet and head to the small bathroom of the room. But he did so. On autopilot to be perfectly honest. But it was still enough to busy himself, especially his mind. Removing his old, dirty clothing and putting on his new ones. A splash of cold water on the face also helped.

He left the old clothes on a chair in the bathroom, though, deciding to deal with them later. He walked silently out of the bathroom, comforted by the sight of his guild (minus Hamza as he was busy elsewhere) as they quietly talked amongst themselves.

He then sat on the edge of his temporary bed, rested his elbows on his legs and felt his shoulders sag in exhaustion. It suddenly hit him how…worn out he felt. It wasn't physical fatigue, but mental and emotional.

Jhon lingered next to him and gently placed his hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?" he asked him softly.

Something inside of Axel broke at that question. He couldn't pretend anymore. He couldn't lie and say he was fine. He didn't have the strength to do that anymore.

So he dropped his head into his hands. "…No."

Jhon was immediately by his side on the bed and his arm was wrapped firmly across his shoulders. Axel's breath hitched in his throat when he heard the sound of shoes on the hard floor.

"Macerio, Lirit, come on," Tobyn said quietly, yet urgently. "We're going to find Axel some food."

"But-" Macerio started to protest but was cut off by Lirit.

"Yes, we'll help."

"Magnus. Let us help, too."

"…Ok."

"Chi-hung, come. Let's see if we can find Hamza."

There was the sound of feet hurriedly shuffling across the floor, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing. And then there was silence.

He was…relieved to be alone.

It wasn't as if he was ashamed to break down in front of the others. He didn't want to because they had been terrified enough as he was. With the curses and the monsters, and Lynus sprouting wings before coughing up blood and fainting; they've been through enough. Axel didn't want to add further to that.

But he also couldn't hold back his own fears either.

"Talk to me," Jhon urged as he tugged him toward him.

Axel turned and just slumped against Jhon, his head still in his hands as tears pooled along his lower lashes. "That scared the shit out of me. I thought I'd lose him for good that time."

Jhon sighed and rubbed comforting circles on Axel's back. "It scared the hell out of us all."

Axel dropped his hands from his head and allowed Jhon to pull him into a comforting hug. Keeping an arm around his shoulders, he used his other hand to press Axel's head against his shoulder.

"He keeps pushing himself for the sake of others," Axel murmured, his voice sounding weak and tired. It was shocking, even for him. "And I've stood by because it's what Lynus wants. But I don't think I can anymore."

"I know," Jhon said in return, his voice also low and soft. Tired even. "We all feel the same. This can't happen again. It won't happen again. We'll all work together to ensure that this never, ever happens again."

Yeah…That was right. Axel wasn't the only one constantly watching over Lynus. The whole guild was. They were watching over each other. And Lynus was still with them. Dr Stiles assured him and reassured him that he was just exhausted. He wasn't going to disappear on him again. Not again. No one would allow that to happen.

"You should try to get some rest now," Jhon said as he continued to comfort him. "We're all in this together."

Those words were enough for Axel to close his eyes and finally fall asleep, against Jhon's shoulder and under the watchful eye of his guild.

… … … … …

Hamza walked through the hospital corridors with purposeful strides and a stoic expression on his face. He had returned from attempting to speak with those rogue hexer students, but it was a fruitless venture. They weren't in the best of shape to be interrogated. Somewhat satisfying, and yet still very frustrating.

Never mind them for now. He had been reassured that they weren't going anywhere. They had occupied his thoughts for long enough. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

The moment that Hamza was close enough to the door leading to Derek's office, he knocked. After receiving a terse "enter" from the other side, he promptly opened the door and stepped inside. He paused only to shut the door tightly behind him, to ensure that no unwanted ears overheard this conversation.

"You've been doing some research, I hear. Anything of note?"

Sat at his desk that was covered with more books and files than usual, Derek lifted his head up to regard Hamza with a sharp nod. He then dove straight into his findings. "From what I can deduce, some of what Mahogany makes sense. The power that Lynus showed was an ancient skill that only medics of the highest calibre can wield. It's known by two names; Healing Touch and Medical Miracle. Not much is known, I'm afraid. But it's not life threatening."

That was certainly reassuring to hear.

Derek then sighed and shook his head. "To think that he was able to heal everyone all at once by sheer willpower alone…"

Lynus was meek and docile in many ways; however his desire to heal was certainly anything but.

Hamza nodded his head and folded his arms across his chest. "The coughing of blood?"

"That was the result of the severe exhaustion," Derek answered quickly as he slapped his hands atop of his desk and pushed himself to his feet, he himself clearly on the brink of exhaustion. "Not the result of the healing."

"So, he's going to be all right?" He had been reassured that many times before, but he still needed to hear it again.

"Yes," Derek replied, not tersely but firmly, resolutely. "There shouldn't be any ongoing medical issues with him. Other than his inability to care for himself, that is."

"Hm." A half smile appeared on Hamza's lips. "I get the feeling you're hoping to rectify that."

"Oh, I plan on it."

Funny, that almost sounded threatening.

"For now, I'm going to check in on him," Derek said as he moved from behind his desk and toward the door. "A lot of people are worried about him, you know?"

A lot was probably somewhat of an understatement.

"Yes, I know," Hamza said instead as he moved to follow Derek out of his office.

As he stepped through the door, though, he was surprised and subtly alarmed to find that Cedric appeared to be waiting for him. With Chi-hung at his feet.

"Is something wrong?" he asked as he stopped in front of the two, his hands instinctively reaching out to rest against Cedric's sides.

Cedric, however, smiled and shook his head as he rested his hands against Hamza's chest. "No, it's been dealt with now."

Hamza was momentarily confused, not immediately understanding what he meant. But it soon dawned upon him and he protectively tugged Cedric toward him. "…Axel?"

"He's fine," Cedric said as he slipped his hands toward Hamza's shoulders. "Jhon's with him. But…let us all go now."

Yes. The guild needed to be together. Just them. Just for a little while.

… … … … …

Lynus felt so…heavy. His head ached. His body ached. He felt sore and just so exhausted. It was an unfortunately familiar feeling. He had felt this before. Overwork and exhaustion. He just…couldn't remember why he felt so tired.

A familiar voice calling his name softly in a tone that was both questioning and pleading prompted Lynus to find the strength to open his eyes. They felt as heavy as the rest of him, and it was genuine struggle to keep them open.

But despite the urge to simply close his eyes and go back to sleep, he kept them open long enough for him to recognise two figures leaning over him. To his right was Axel and to his left was Dr Stiles. He could only see blurred outlines of them at first. His vision soon started to clear, thankfully, and he realised that they were both leaning over him with expressions nearly identical. Expressions that were a mixture of worry and relief.

Did he…faint again?

"Axel…?" Lynus attempted to speak, but it came out as a short, weak murmur.

"Hey," Axel responded, his voice thick and a smile of relief on his lips. "How are you feeling?"

"Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," Dr Stiles was the one to answer.

"The hospital? Why?" Lynus murmured and furrowed his brow in pure confusion. However, it all soon came flooding back. The images of everyone struggling with their curses. The image of Axel surrounded by FOEs and…

Blood pouring from a deep wound on his back.

His eyes grew frantically wide and he immediately attempt to sit up. "T-the hexers!"

"Easy!" Dr Stiles said, but Lynus barely heard him.

Instead he reached out toward Axel, to cup his face in his hands and look him in the eyes. "You're ok? Are you ok? Everyone ok?"

Axel immediately placed his hands atop of Lynus' and leaned forward so that his forehead was touching his. And allowed for him to look deeply into his eyes. "I'm fine. We're all fine. Thanks to you."

That…surprised Lynus immensely and he felt his brow furrow once more in confusion. "Me?" he uttered before a wave of light-headedness and discomfort washed over him and he slumped forward.

Axel's arms immediately caught him and he felt Dr Stiles also instinctively reach out to grab him. He felt boneless and weak as the two guided him to lie back down onto the bed.

"Hng," he uttered in discomfort as he sunk against the pillow. "What-?"

"Easy now," Dr Stiles said again as he pressed a hand to his forehead. "Take slow breathes. Do you remember what happened?"

Lynus squeezed his eyes shut tightly. "Everyone was…cursed," he swallowed thickly as the images replayed in his mind once more. "And Axel…he was surrounded by FOEs and bound to the spot. A hexer…approached me. He taunted me."

"What happened after that?" Dr Stiles pressed. "Do you remember healing?"

Healing? He…remembered the desire to heal.

"I don't…know," Lynus replied honestly as he opened his eyes and lolled his head to the side to look up at Dr Stiles. "I just wanted to heal everyone. That was my only thought. I could sense everyone's pain and discomfort and all I wanted to do was to stop it. And…that's my final thought before everything went…fuzzy. Like I was falling asleep. I…felt something on my back though."

Unexpectedly, Dr Stiles and Axel shared a troubled look before they turned their gazes back down to him. "Your back?"

Lynus nodded his head. "Yes. Just…felt as if there was something there." He couldn't explain anything more than that, though. He tried to think back on it, on that moment before everything when black but he honestly couldn't recall anything. Only the desire, the desperate need to heal everyone.

Did he…manage to do that?

"Sorry, I'm feeling a little dizzy at the moment."

"No, it's completely fine," Dr Stiles said comfortingly. "We'll talk about it later. After you get some rest. Something you need a lot of."

Dr Stiles' tone was parental, something Lynus had heard many times before. And yet it felt different this time. He sounded truly worried. He sounded as if he had been truly…frightened by something. Both he and Axel.

"You're withholding something," Lynus said toward the both of them. "I can sense it. What happened?"

Once more, and unnervingly so, Axel and Dr Stiles shared another concerned look.

"Lynus," Dr Stiles said as he subconsciously leaned in closer, as if he was about to reveal something extremely important. "From what I can deduce, you used a highly powerful skill known as a Force Break. It is a skill that not many can ever accomplish in their lifetimes. And the skill you used, one that only medics can ever hope to achieve is called Healing Touch."

Lynus blinked up at him in shock for a moment. "Healing Touch?"

Dr Stiles nodded his head before he continued. "Yes. It is different for each person. For example; for one their perception increases to a speed that makes it appear as if time has crawled to a stop. A critical skill for those who conduct life-saving surgery. You, on the other hand, appear to have a slightly…different ability. Your will and spirit. You healed everyone within the vicinity of their ailments; binds, status, injuries on all spectrums. All at once. Without having to touch any of them."

…What?

No…what?

Lynus sunk back onto the bed and closed his eyes. He was…able to heal everyone at once? Heal their injuries, binds, and ailments all at once? That was what he had wanted, what he had desired. He managed to do that?

He was…able to save everyone. Oh, thank god. He…they were safe. He didn't understand a thing about this Healing Touch. It didn't matter. Not at this very moment. Everyone was safe. That was all that he cared about. He could sleep easier now.

Lynus reopened his eyes and turned his head slightly to look up at Axel once more. "What happened with those hexers?"

"We managed to arrest four of them," Axel answered with a frown to his lips as he gently cradled Lynus' hand in his. "Unfortunately two did manage to get away. We severely doubt they'll have the guts to return after…what happened."

There was a slight hesitation in Axel's voice. Did something else happen? Something to leave him worried and unnerved?

"There's something else, isn't there?"

Axel didn't answer immediately. Instead he shared yet another brief glance with Dr Stiles once more as he idly traced patterns to the back of Lynus' hand. He finally sighed. "When you were using your ability…a pair of wings appeared from your back."

Lynus furrowed his brow, not entirely sure he had heard him right. "What? Wings?"

"Yeah," Axel said as he locked his gaze with his to show to him that he was being honest. "They…looked like that of angel wings. That's what the others have called them."

"That…" Lynus whispered in disbelief. "That can't be possible."

Axel gave him a small smile as he reached out to curl a strand of his hair around his finger. "It's true. Everyone from the guild saw them."

"What? W-what does that mean?" Lynus stuttered as he tried to sit up.

Axel immediately wrapped an arm around his shoulders to support him while Dr Stiles placed a hand on his shoulder to still him, and to make him turn his attention directly to him.

"It's nothing to worry about," he said firmly. "Mahogany deduced that they were simply a representation of your aura. Of your spiritual healing abilities. It is nothing to be worried about. Right now, the only concern we have about your health is your acute but severe exhaustion. Not much of a surprise, to be honest. With all the previous healing to add on top of using a force skill; you are truly exhausted."

It took Lynus a moment or two to allow the information that Dr Stiles just told him to sink in. When it did he sighed and rested his head against Axel's shoulder.

Exhaustion sounded about right. Perhaps an extreme case of it. He had been working rather tirelessly the last few days. He could accept that. It felt right to him as well. Sure, he still wasn't entirely adept at inspecting himself for his own health and wellbeing, but he knew enough to know when he was exhausted.

The one thing that was wholly confusing was the mentioning of wings. And…For some inexplicable reason he didn't feel concerned about that, about how he had sprouted wings. Wings of all things. It was just…his aura, wasn't it? Due in part by that force skill he used. That sounded plausible, too. It was confusing as to why such a thing happened and he did wonder if Kerri had somehow foreseen the appearance of his wings when she spoke with him the other day. Perhaps he could speak with Mahogany about it later.

It was all very…baffling. He wasn't concerned or upset, just confused.

God…all this information was just so overwhelming at the moment.

"How are you feeling?" Axel asked him attentively once again, pulling him from his thoughts.

Lynus closed his eyes and touched his forehead with his free hand. "I…I just feel tired and achy. But that's part of the exhaustion, isn't it?"

"Do you feel anything else?"

"A little lightheaded," Lynus answered honestly as he dropped his hand from his forehead and sighed. "Nothing extreme, though. I've honestly felt worse."

"Try not to think too much about it," Dr Stiles said as he gently placed his hand upon Lynus' shoulder, prompting him to lift his head to look over at him once more. "You're here. Your guild is here. Four of the six hexers have been arrested. After seeing that, I doubt they are willing to return any time soon. We can assume that this epidemic is over. Now, it's time to rest. Your time to rest. I will leave you in Axel's capable hands. And tomorrow your guild will return and they will fuss. And you will sit there and relish in all of their fussing, do you understand?"

Lynus chuckled tiredly but nodded his head. "Yes, I understand."

The others were sure to be worried. Very much so. Especially after that dramatic display.

As Dr Stiles turned to leave the room, Axel urged Lynus to lie back down upon the bed. He was actually thankful for that as his head was starting to spin just a little bit more than he was used to. And he was thankful, once again, for Axel's unconditionally strong and gentle arms around him.

"You all right?" Axel asked him (a question that he would no doubt ask him abundantly in the future) as he sat himself upon a chair pulled as close as possible to his bed.

Lynus sunk against the mattress and pillows and sighed. "I just…" he murmured as he reached up to press a palm to his forehead. "I just find it hard to imagine why I would, well, literally sprout wings. Wings, of all things. But they must have been part of my aura, for some reason. Kerri made a strange comment to me the other day. About how she could see them clearly now."

He found himself uttering another sigh and let his arm flop back down onto the bed next to him. "I don't know what to think."

He honestly felt too lightheaded to think too deeply right now.

"I'm just glad you're ok now," Axel said as he gently stroked the side of Lynus' face.

Lynus lolled his head to the side to look at his beloved. "I'm glad that you're ok. But did you see them? The wings?"

"I did."

"What did you think of them?"

Axel managed to force a smile to his lips. "Honestly? They suited you," he joked lightly before his face unexpectedly crumbled into a tired and subtly frightened expression. "I was worried though. That you would disappear on me again…"

Axel's voice cracked as he trailed off and Lynus' heart broke. He tried to keep a brave face for his sake. He tried to be encouraging and supportive of everything he did, even though he was terrified of something happening to him.

Oh Axel…

Lynus ignored his weariness and pushed himself to sit up. He reached out to Axel, to wrap his arms around his neck. And Axel reached for him, too. Taking him into his arms, which held him so tightly as he buried his face into the crook of Lynus' neck.

"I'm sorry," Lynus whispered as he threaded his fingers through Axel's hair as he gripped the back of his shirt with his other hand. "I keep worrying you. You're upset. I'm so sorry."

"You scared the hell out of me," Axel murmured against his neck. "I don't want you to do anything like that again. I won't stand by and watch as you push yourself to your limit again. I can't…"

Lynus felt tears pool along his lashes when he realised that Axel, too, was crying. Ever so softly, but he could feel his heated tears against his neck. God he loved this man so much. And he loved him so much in return.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I'll make it up to you."

He didn't mean to scare him like that. But…he was scared too. Seeing him, seeing his Axel injured, surrounded by monsters, unable to move. No, he couldn't stand it. He had to do something.

And he did do something. He was able to use his healing abilities to help him, save him. Him along with everyone important to him. And if he had to relive that event again he would do the exact same thing. He would do whatever it took to heal everyone. To keep them alive.

He would also do what was needed to keep himself alive.

They continued to simply hold each other for the longest time. Lynus running his fingers through Axel's hair as cradled the back of his head and held him tightly. Slowly, they both grew fatigued.

Unwilling to be apart, Axel slipped onto the bed next to Lynus and feeling him next to him had an immediate comforting effect on Lynus.

With Axel lying on the bed next to him and his arms around him to cradle him against his chest, Lynus felt comforted and content. His weariness returned to him but he knew that with Axel with him once more he'd be able to sleep far more peacefully.

The danger was over. Everyone was fine. Everyone was safe. He could truly rest now.

"A part of me is…relieved, though, in a way," Lynus murmured as his hands gripped the front of Axel's shirt, his eyes slipping close as Axel placed a soft kiss to his hair. "That I was able to cure everyone all at once and so quickly. And if I ever find myself, ourselves in a situation like that again, I know I will be able to heal everyone."

"What about you?" Axel asked in return, his lips brushing against his forehead.

Lynus opened his eyes half way, his gaze immediately falling upon the garnet ring that sat so perfectly on his finger. "…I don't know," he answered honestly. "But…it'll be ok. I don't think we'll be encountering too many situations that will call for me to do that again, am I right?"

Axel gave a very subtle bristle of protectiveness. "Not if I can help it."

Lynus chuckled tiredly as he tilted his head back and took Axel's face in his hands. He gazed lovingly into his eyes. "I'll be ok, Axel. I promise."

He then leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. Axel's arms immediately tighten around him and he gently deepened the kiss. Lynus uttered a soft sigh and let himself become complete lost in both Axel's arms and his gentle caress.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN** : Ridiculously long chapter ahead XD But it's full of fluff and others fussing over Lynus so it's no surprise it's longer than the other chapters. Well, this is the last chapter to this saga. After this one I think I might take a small break from novels for a little while. Maybe chill out with some rping or something. Who knows, I certainly don't half the time. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 14:**

Lynus sat against the pillows propped up behind his back and gazed out the window of his hospital room. Two days had passed since the end of the Hex Epidemic and he had spent the majority of that time sleeping, awaking only to eat. It was an odd feeling, being so exhausted. Eating and sleeping, and doing little else. It was something he was not at all used to. He probably never would become accustomed to it.

Another thing he was still acclimatising to was being the centre of everyone's concerned and worried attention. He had caused worry before, completely unintentionally each time, but this time was different.

What had happened truly scared them. No, _terrified_ them.

Lynus sighed as he sunk deeper against the pillows and continued to stare outside the window. It was a clear day outside so the window was open allowing for a gentle breeze to drift in on occasion.

He was currently alone in his room, but Axel was just outside speaking with Hamza about something. Something they obviously didn't want to concern him with. But even though Lynus was still suffering from exhaustion he could sense their auras and they weren't bristling with anger or concern, so the conversation was likely that of idle talk. Or perhaps planning for what they were to do in the future. Lynus was unlikely to be allowed in the labyrinth for a few more days.

Sitting in this bed, alone with his thoughts, Lynus couldn't help but feel anxious. Well, not quite anxious perhaps restless was a better word. He was in the hospital and though he was currently a patient, he still felt the urge to get up and do his rounds.

He truly was a workaholic, wasn't he?

He didn't remember much of the last couple of days. He remembered seeing the others on occasion, finding them sat by his bedside, seemingly waiting for him to awaken. Or being gently awoken by them in order to get something to eat and drink. He did remember the relief upon seeing them, though. He trusted and believed in what Axel said, about how he had managed to heal them all, but he still needed to see for himself.

And thankfully he couldn't sense any lingering curses or hexes upon them. He may have been exhausted, on the brink of falling back to sleep during many of their encounters, but it was his pure instinct to assess them immediately.

They truly were safe and unharmed.

He was…glad. He didn't understand how he had done it and he tried not to think about it too much. He just needed to focus on himself, to get himself to a state where he didn't have to worry anyone anymore. Focusing on himself was going to be difficult, he had been trying for ages now with little progress, but he had to try.

For Axel's sake. For his family's sake.

The presence of Dr Stiles' aura as it grew closer caused Lynus to roll his head away from the window and to instead look expectantly at the door. He waited for what felt like a minute as Dr Stiles paused to speak with Axel and Hamza outside before he opened the door and stepped in.

"Ah, good, you're awake," he said with relief in his voice and quickly made his way over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Lynus gave the head doctor a small smile. "Just a little tired yet restless," he answered honestly. "I actually feel as though I should be getting up and making myself useful."

Dr Stiles nodded his head, not at all surprised. "That's not surprising. But if you attempt it…"

Lynus had to chuckle at the threat that was left hanging. He fell silent as Dr Stiles began his usual inspection, checking his vitals, ensuring he was comfortable and that he had been eating the food he had been given. He asked the typical questions medical staff ask a patient and Lynus knew them off by heart, and knew how to answer them to offer the best indication to his health.

However, Dr Stiles seemed to be asking more questions than usual. He was also fussier than usual. Well, he could have been like this during his previous inspections but Lynus was too tired to take too much notice. His questions were more…parental, though.

"Your blood pressure is still a little on the low side of things, but I'm not overly concerned," Dr Stiles spoke after he conducted his inspection and perched himself on the edge of the bed.

"Ah, so I'll be stuck here for a few more days?" Lynus questioned.

Dr Stiles thought to himself for a moment. "Well, if you're good, you might be able to leave tomorrow afternoon."

That was a relief! Nothing against the hospital, of course. But his own personal space and his own bed, with Axel with him, he would feel so much better. It would also reassure his guildmates.

"I'll try my best," Lynus said in return before he smiled in a soft and playful manner. "But that window is looking awfully tempting right now."

Dr Stiles uttered a chuckle, seemingly despite himself. "You wouldn't be the first to try, I assure you," he said with a smile before his expression abruptly changed into a somewhat stoic and serious look.

It honestly made Lynus feel a little nervous.

"I need to ask you something," Dr Stiles said with a serious tone, his voice low. "It's a personal question but I need to know so I can help you."

Lynus immediately felt a spike of fear appear in his chest and he subconsciously swallowed hard. He was fairly certain he knew what Dr Stiles was going to ask him. And he wasn't sure if he could answer it. He understood why he wanted to know, why he needed to know. It was just…he didn't know how Dr Stiles would react to the truth. He didn't want him to change his feelings or thoughts on him.

Curling his hands tightly around the bedsheets pooled at his waist, Lynus reluctantly nodded his head. "…Ok."

"How old were you when you started healing?" Dr Stiles asked, though made no attempt to pull out his usual notepad.

Lynus thought for a moment. "I remember using a cure spell for the first time when I was about six," he admitted around the lump that had formed in his throat. He somehow managed a shaky smile as he added; "Axel fell out of a tree and hurt himself."

The corner of Dr Stiles' mouth twitched into a smile and he nodded his head. That smile soon faded as he repositioned himself on the bed so that he was focusing more clearly on Lynus. "And how old were you when you started healing consciously?"

Once more, Lynus fell silent as he took a moment to think. "Um, about eight, I think. It was more so healing cuts and scrapes. I…don't really remember, I'm afraid," he admitted as he found himself sinking back against the pillows. "My village and childhood, I mean."

Dr Stiles' brow furrowed slightly and his eyes searched Lynus' carefully. "Did you have a mentor or teacher?"

Lynus just shook his head no. No, he didn't. He was really the only healer of his village. From what he could remember at least. He wasn't entirely sure of that. But he was certain that he did not have a mentor. He did not have anyone try to act as his guide. It was just…him.

The head doctor's brow furrowed even deeper as he leaned forward slightly. "Self-taught?"

Lynus pressed his lips together and nodded his head once.

"I see," Dr Stiles murmured, though he did not look all that pleased. Confused, but not exactly happy by any means. But then he asked a question that Lynus had feared since their talk began. "How old were you when you started healing professionally?"

Tears immediately pooled in Lynus' eyes and he felt his breathing and heartrate increase. He pressed his lips tighter together and shook his head. Please, don't ask him when and how, or why. Please, just leave it. He didn't want to remember. He didn't want Dr Stiles to look at him differently.

But of course, Dr Stiles immediately noticed his tears and reaction and he looked puzzled. He, however, shuffled forward to take Lynus by his shoulders, his touch thankfully soft, as he tried to comfort him. "I'm sorry if this is painful for you. But please, please I need to know. I want to know everything. I want to help you. Your skills are extraordinary, but your healing is external and none internal. Lynus, I need to know why you can only heal others and not yourself. Please, tell me everything."

Lynus' chest burned as tears blurred his vision. He tried to shake his head. He didn't want to say those words again. He didn't want to remember.

"Wh-when I was ten I was kidnapped by a violent lord to act as his personal medic," Lynus blurted out as tears rolled down his cheeks unimpeded and he began to hiccup as he tried to talk and breath at the same time. "I was…I was there for e-eight years. I had to learn everything myself. I had to look after others. I was never…I don't know…"

Dr Stiles was silent and though tears blurred Lynus' vision to the point where everything was a mash of different colours, he knew that he was just staring at him. He could sense the shock in his aura. He could feel his hands tightening on his shoulders.

A sob hitched in Lynus' throat as he took Dr Stiles' silence at a bad sign and he covered his face with his hands. However, the hands that held his shoulders tightened further and suddenly he found himself being pulled toward Dr Stiles as he arms came around him in a tight, almost crushing hug.

Another sob found its way passed Lynus' lips, but this one held a sense of relief to it and he clutched at the front of Dr Stiles' shirt with his hands. He cried softly into his shoulder at the unwanted memories of being under the steely control of a violent and egotistical lord, and Dr Stiles' continued to hold him, whispering soft words of reassurance and apologises into his ear while he ran his fingers soothing through his hair.

He didn't ask him anymore questions. He seemed to understand enough now. About how long he had been holding that in, how long he had been a hostage for, and how long he had been free.

"You're so much stronger than I could have ever imagined," Dr Stiles unexpectedly murmured as he continued to rake his fingers through his hair.

Strong? Was he really as strong as people believed? He…didn't think he was.

"I'm sorry," Dr Stiles said as he pulled back from Lynus but kept his hands on his shoulders. "I had no idea you were carrying such burdens."

Lynus kept his head down as he hastily wiped as his tears. He shook his head, though, and tried to respond with his habitual brand of reassurance. "It's…ok. I wanted to forget. Only my guild knows. I'm…fine now."

Dr Stiles suddenly uttered a sigh. "You do yourself a disservice by stating you are fine."

His chest still burned, and he felt heavy and fatigued. And yet, he also felt a sense of…peace. He had feared how Dr Stiles would respond to learning of his past, of how he became a healer. The longer he had worked with him and for him, the deeper the dread and fear he felt that one day he would learn the truth.

But he knew now. And his response wasn't negative.

He was so relieved.

"I'm glad that I know why you are the way you are now," Dr Stiles continued. "When I first met you, I knew you were an extraordinary medic. And I was right. You have remarkable inner spiritual power that is born of love, wisdom, and grace. You have inspired so many to be the best healers they can be. Including me. Truly, your inner light illuminates the path for those who walk beside you."

Lynus could only stare at Dr Stiles in disbelief and shock before tears welled in his eyes once more as what he just said slowly registered in his mind. To think that the man he considered to be his mentor and friend thought so highly of him, to give him such praise…

Surprising? Relieving? Humbling? He wasn't sure. But he was…happy.

"Although it seems that I have little more to teach you, I can and will teach you to turn some of your extraordinary healing power inwards," Dr Stiles said as he idly smoothed down his hair in a purely parental manner. "First, though, I need your consent. The first and most important step to begin your own healing is being able to recognise that you need it."

That…was true, wasn't it? He really did want to learn how to take care of himself. Although not entirely for himself. But for Axel and the others. It was a start, though, right? Maybe…it could become a habit of his?

"I want to try," Lynus admitted. "Healing myself, I mean."

Dr Stiles smiled at that. A small but soft smile that held pure relief. "Then I will do everything I can to bring you to full health. You are under my care now. Everything will be all right."

Lynus immediately believed him. "Thank you."

But Dr Stiles shook his head and gently rubbed the pad of his thumb against Lynus' cheek. "No, it's the least I can do. After everything you've done for us. But for now, get some sleep. Axel is just itching to get back in here."

A small chuckle slipped past Lynus' lips and he nodded his head. He did feel tired and yet…content. He readily sunk back into the pillows behind him and closed his eyes, easily falling into a restful sleep.

… … … … …

It was a few hours later when Lynus was gently awoken by Axel's voice urging him to open his eyes. It was lunchtime, he said. Time for something to eat. Though Axel felt guilty about waking him up from a restful sleep, Lynus was indeed on a diet plan where he was to have at least three meals a day. Snacks in-between permitted.

Slowly, Lynus opened his eyes and looked up to his right where Axel stood. He had a gentle and fond smile on his lips and Lynus couldn't help but smile back at him. Though he felt tired and drained from his previous talk with Dr Stiles, he allowed for Axel to help him to sit up and let him prop the pillows up behind him once more.

As Axel fussed over him, Lynus had to push back the urge to tell him that he was ok and not to worry over him too much. It was his instinct to reassure and brush aside his own needs, after all. But Axel was going to fuss over him regardless. And, honestly, he probably deserved it. He scared the life out of him so letting him fuss was allowing him to elevate some of his own concerns. So, it was good for him in the long run.

When Lynus was settled and comfortable against the pillows behind him, Axel paused next to him and lifted a hand to play with a strand of his orange hair. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Lynus smiled as he idly tilted his head toward Axel's hand, letting him drop his hold on his hair to instead tenderly touch the side of his face. "I feel better than I did this morning," he answered honestly. "Dr Stiles knows about…that."

Axel sighed and didn't look surprised. "I know," he said simply.

Lynus peered up at him curiously. "Did you know beforehand?" he asked, not accusingly, but curiously because he felt that if Axel knew beforehand he would have intervened somehow for his sake.

"No, but Hamza apparently did," Axel replied with a slight shake of his head. "He had to hold me back from kicking in the door after I heard you…talking."

Crying, more like it. Still, Lynus had to smile. "I'm actually relieved," he said as he reached up to cover Axel's hand with his own. "I don't have to worry about it anymore. And maybe I can…start to heal myself."

Axel gently stroked his cheek with his thumb before he leaned down to place a soft and lingering kiss to his forehead. Lynus closed his eyes and relished in the gentle affection.

The feeling of his guildmates' auras and approaching footsteps caused Lynus to open his eyes and turned his attention toward the door as Axel stood up once more. He also glanced over at the door and seemed to wait until the footsteps outside paused.

"You guys can come in!" he called out to them.

Not a moment later the door to Lynus' room opened, almost with a flourish and the entirety of his guild was seen huddled outside. They were very clearly relieved to see him actually sitting up, conscious and able to engage with them again.

Magnus was the first to hurry toward into the room and over to the bed. He then did something that was rather out of character for the shy alchemist; he threw his arms around Lynus in a tight hug. Lynus was surprised, but only for a moment before he slipped his arms around Magnus and returned the hug with as much strength as he could muster. He could tell by the way Magnus held him that he needed this comforting hug for quite a while now.

After a long moment, Magnus pulled back and looked at him with his big blue eyes. His lips were parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, to ask him something. But Lynus gently silenced him by leaning forward and placing his forehead against his.

"I'm going to be fine," he whispered. "It's all right. Don't worry. I'm still here. We all are."

Magnus pressed his lips together and swallowed thickly, but he nodded his head nonetheless. And he looked reassured. Relieved. Lynus gave him a reassuring smile before he pulled back and watched as Shen approached. He slipped up behind Magnus and placed his hands on his upper arms before he leaned forward to whisper something to him.

Magnus nodded his head to whatever Shen said to him. He didn't step back. Instead he stayed pressed against the bed and against Shen, as Shen removed one of his hands from Magnus and unexpectedly reached out to gently touch Lynus' own arm. It was a gentle touch, a simple touch, but it was significant. And it spoke volumes.

Lynus glanced down at his hand in surprise, but felt a smile return to his lips and he turned his gaze back toward Shen. He didn't say anything. Instead he lifted his hand and placed it on top of Shen's. He squeezed his hand back, silently telling him in return that he was ok and that he was glad that he, along with everyone else, was ok.

Shen gave his arm a gentle squeeze before he pulled his hand away and Lynus let his own hand drop to his lap. Only then did Magnus step away from the bed, Shen accompanying him.

Lirit was the next person to approach him and he immediately slipped his arms around him in a hug. Not hesitation whatsoever, which was usual for him. He, however, also did something somewhat expected; he planted a quick and purely familial kiss to his cheek.

"You're looking better," he said as he pulled back and smiled at him. "You have colour back to your cheeks."

Lynus smiled at him, thankful for Lirit's idle chatter as it, too, seemed to put everyone at ease. "I've done nothing but eat and sleep the last couple of days. I feel like I'm on vacation."

Lirit laughed freely and Lynus could feel the tension from the others drop even further. "Well, you certainly deserve one. Binah and Becky couldn't come today as Matron wanted them to stay at the inn with her so they can prepare a few things."

Hmm? Prepare? Ah, probably for his eventual return. No doubt that Dr Stiles had sent a list of meals and whatnot to her in preparation of his new health plan. Hope he wasn't causing too much trouble at the inn.

He didn't have time to ask Lirit, though; as soon as he stepped back Cedric stepped forward, and soon had his arms around him in an exuberant hug. So cheerful that Lynus had to laugh softly as he returned the hug, his laugh continuing as Cedric planted a kiss to his cheek also.

"We've brought you some real food," Cedric said as he pulled back. "We're certain that you're sick of hospital food."

"The food hasn't been that bad, but a home cook meal would be so nice right now," Lynus said as Cedric turned to fuss over a few parcels he and the others must have carried in.

With Cedric focused elsewhere, Macerio quickly took his place by the bed and like what Magnus had done; he wrapped his arms around him and pressed his face against his shoulder. Lynus immediately slipped his arms around him in return, resting his cheek against Macerio's temple and running his fingers through his hair as he whispered words of reassurance into his ear.

Macerio didn't say anything, surprisingly, but nodded his head on occasion and Lynus could feel him getting shaky and emotional. So, he kept idly running his fingers through his hair to comfort him.

It took Hamza stepping up behind Macerio and placing his hand on his back to prompt Macerio to pull back. He thankfully didn't have tears on his cheeks, but he was considerably relieved to have been able to hug him, to reaffirm to himself that Lynus was indeed all right.

Hamza gently guided Macerio away from Lynus and toward Lirit, who quickly pulled him into another hug. Hamza then turned back to him and gave him a small smile. "Needlessly to say, we're relieved. Your children are looking forward to your return home."

Children, hmm? Well, they were family so why not?

"If I'm good I may return home tomorrow afternoon," Lynus replied, his answer seemingly bringing a new wave of relief to the occupants of the room.

"Ah, you must be eager to return home, also," Jhon said as he walked over to the bed and leaned his tall frame forward to give Lynus a hug also.

Lynus, of course, reached up to return the hug. However, his grip on Jhon's shirt tightened subtly when he whispered something into his ear. "We all would feel reassured to have you safe at home."

"I want nothing more than to be home, also," Lynus whispered in response as he pressed his cheek against his shoulder.

Jhon tightened his arms around him ever so slightly, prolonging the hug before he eventually pulled back. He smiled as he stepped back, and without any prompting from him whatsoever, Tobyn took his turn to step forward. And without any hesitation, just like the others, he promptly wrapped his arms around him in a hug as well.

The hug was surprisingly not awkward or silted at all. It was warm and sincere. A testament that he had been greatly worried about him and he, too, was relieved that he, that everyone was all right.

Tobyn didn't say anything as he hugged him and Lynus didn't speak either. He just hugged him back as tightly as he could, silently telling him that he understood everything he had felt. They were all ok. And that was all that mattered.

After a moment, Tobyn pulled back also. As he did so, though, his brow furrowed slightly. "Has your hair gotten longer?" he asked.

Lynus instinctively reached up to touch his hair. "I…think so," he said as he idly curled a strand of his hair around his finger.

"I think it has, too," Axel said as he stood next to him and placed a hand on his back. "It suits you, though."

"Hmm, well the longer it is, the easier for it to be tied back, I suppose," Lynus said with a shrug and dropped his hand back onto the bed.

He was about to say something else but was interrupted when Chi-hung practically climbed onto the bed and Lynus laughed as he threw his arms around the white-tiger's neck and hugged him. Chi-hung purred loudly as he nuzzled his head against his arm and the side of his head.

With Chi-hung happily nuzzling, Lynus realised that he had been embraced by all members of his guild. Besides one, that was.

Resting his chin atop of Chi-hung's head, Lynus glanced around the room to find Rahas standing near the window. The open window. He hadn't made a break for it yet. So that was a good sign. He was uncomfortable, though. But the open displays of affection toward him.

Lynus could sense that a small part of Rahas wish he could also participate in such open displays. He just didn't know how. He didn't know how to let himself show open affection.

It was…sad. But Lynus understood. And he couldn't push him.

He wouldn't push him. However, someone else might. And that someone else was approaching quickly. Lynus could sense his aura so clearly.

Lynus lifted his head from Chi-hung's and glanced over at the door. Not a moment later the door opened and Shiki stood on the threshold, his hand on the door handle and his eyes immediately locking with Lynus'.

There was an immediate expression of relief on his face and his shoulders sagged ever so slightly. He didn't bother to excuse himself or explain his presence. He simply stepped into the room and quickly made his way to the bed.

Chi-hung seemed to understand what was to happen so reluctantly, and with an annoyed flick of his tail, climbed off the bed. As soon as he did so, Lynus found himself wrapped in Shiki's arms as the other man hugged him so tightly.

Once more, Lynus readily returned the hug he was given. He slipped his arms around Shiki the best he could. However, his hand slid along Shiki's injured left arm and he felt himself pause. He could feel the injuries beneath the thick bandages. Feel heavy scars and deep wounds. And the weakness in the muscles. Well, in the muscles that were left.

What? What had happened to his arm?

Shiki suddenly pulled back and held him by his shoulders. "I can't believe it; you've gotten even skinner. Is that even possible? Honestly, at this point you'll have to run around in the shower to get wet!"

Lynus felt himself simultaneously blush and pout at the same time. He couldn't say anything in response, though. Even he noticed that he had lost some weight. His clothes were looser than they usually were.

"Shi, get your Emo Son to stop being emo for a second and give Mama Lynus here a hug!" Cedric suddenly and unexpectedly ordered.

Shiki immediately turned to look in Rahas' direction, his brow furrowed slightly. "You haven't hugged Lynus yet?"

Seemingly surrounded by Cedric, Lirit, and Macerio, Rahas immediately bristled, but he seemed to fumble over his words. "Well, how could I when everyone else is hogging him!" he unexpectedly shouted.

Shiki scoffed in a way that was purely fatherly before he crossed the room to where Rahas stood. Rahas instinctively took a step back with a wary and suspicious look on his face while Lirit and Macerio scurried out of the way, both wearing similar expressions of amusement on their faces.

Moving suddenly, Shiki had Rahas in a headlock with one arm and he dragged his knuckles through his hair. "Well, no time like the present. Hop to!" he said as he dragged Rahas toward the bed, the dark hunter kicking and flailing. Not biting and shrieking yet, but he was most likely on the verge of doing so.

Lynus had to laugh, but of course took mercy on Rahas and reached out to hug him both playfully, but sincerely the moment he was close enough. He felt Rahas stiffen in his arms, standing awkwardly still. But Lynus kept his arms firm around him and Shiki kept him pushed toward the bed.

Slowly, Rahas began to relax. Had it only been the two of them Lynus was certain that Rahas would have quickly returned the hug. Maybe even desperately. But because they had company, he would have to settle for Rahas lightly returning the hug.

It was all right. Maybe he could get a sincerer hug from Rahas later. When it was just the two of them. Or maybe even the three of them if Shiki was there also.

"Now Shiki, be careful," Hamza chided in an almost playful. "We're in the hospital and Axel is looking as though he wants to acquaint the both of you with his fist, which honestly would be completely warranted at this point."

When he felt Rahas stiffen again, Lynus removed his arms from around Rahas' neck and shoulders, and he gave him a small smile as Rahas shuffled back. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and slunk back. He didn't immediately head for the window, though, which was a good sign.

"I haven't had the pleasure of being punched by the infamous Axel yet, but from reputation alone, I wouldn't want to," Shiki said with a purely cheeky smile on his lip as he shot Axel a glance.

Axel simply snorted in response but said nothing else. He simply stepped closer to the bed and closer to Lynus. Lynus just smiled up at him, thankful for his patience as everyone show their relief and affection towards him. He'd be sure to allow Axel time to show his own affection toward him later when they were alone again.

"Well, time for something to eat, I think," Cedric said in a chatty manner as he revealed a couple of plates of precooked food. "Matron has been waiting ever so eagerly to have you home so she can fatten you up."

"Oh, that's right! Matron made you a get-well gift, too. The pinkettes helped of course," Lirit added as he picked up a brown paper bag pulled out something purple and made of wool.

He stretched it out, revealing to him that it appeared to be a piece of clothing. A woollen poncho type garment that was a dark purple in colour, similar to that of the gemstone amethyst, with a hood and large buttons down the front.

It looked large yet comfortable. Fluffy even.

"Matron made that?" Lynus asked, surprised and yet not totally shocked.

Lirit smiled. "Yep. Something warm and comfortable for you to relax in," he said as he approached the bed, motioning for Lynus to try it on.

With Axel's help, Lynus slipped off the cardigan he wore and allowed Lirit to help him pull the poncho on over his head. Lirit busied himself soothing the warm, fluffy material against his shoulders as Axel carefully pulled his hair free to drape over his shoulders and back. Lynus idly smoothed down the clothing over his stomach and lap.

It was warm and comfortable. Lovingly made. Made for him.

"That colour purple suits you so well," Jhon complimented with a smile as the others nodded their head in agreement.

Lynus smiled in return and snuggled into his new and comfortable piece of clothing. He settled back against the pillows once more, feeling warmer than before as he watched as the others mingled around the room, chatting him with him and each other. Fussing over him and allowing each other to take turns in their fussing.

As he sat there, allowing himself to bask in their attention without guilt for once, Lynus was quick to realise how truly lucky he was.

He loved his guildmates, his friends, his family so much. Everyone. He loved them all. He'd do anything to protect and heal them. All of them. Do whatever it took.

If it meant sprouting wings and a case of severe exhaustion, then so be it.

Lynus was pulled from his musings when Axel kissed him upon his forehead once more. "Are you all right?" he asked him.

Lynus smiled as he leaned forward to lightly kiss Axel on his lips. "Yeah, I'm all right now."


End file.
